


The Miraculous Speedster and Catboy

by LFF_queen13



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt, Inspired by Miraculous Ladybug, M/M, Romance, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21939949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFF_queen13/pseuds/LFF_queen13
Summary: This story follows Catboy, the son of Selina and Bruce, as he tries to cope with loss and scars from the past. Over his journey he learns to trust others in order to find love and become a member of the Young Justice Family. Watch as a stray cat finds his owner while trying his best to clean up his act and atone for the sins his mother and him committed in the past. Story take place in season 2 and 3.
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Wally West, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Garfield Logan/Perdita, Impulse/OC, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake/Cassie Sandsmark
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Prologue

The Beginning

"The worst way to leave someone is without an explanation."

-Drake

As the sun went down it shrouded Gotham in it's usual eerie darkness that hid the terror of lunatics running wild committing unspeakable crimes and the screams of their victims, from everyone but the black figure jumping from roof top to roof top hunting for his next prey. Tonight the predator's instinct led him to a small apartment building on the outskirts of Gotham; where he found himself perched on the edge of the building opening a window to hoist himself inside.

The man made no effort to conceal his presence as he stood in the darkness of the room, knowing he neither had to strike fear into his prey or use that much caution around her. Unlike many of his other quarries his presence didn't invoke a murderous intent; actually, on the contrary she relished herself in it. It was evident in how her green eyes drowsily opened with a lewdness glowing in them, as they shifted towards the figure in the darkness of her bedroom.

"Oh Bruce, what do I owe this lovely visit to?" she asked as she slowly got out of her bed while never taking her eyes off the man coming towards. As the man came closer to her she raised a hand in the air causing him to stop abruptly with a flicker of confusion touching his strong molded masked face. Her face lit up slightly as she sauntered towards the caped hero; she loved to keep him guessing and would do anything to throw him off his game. All to see the cracks in his invincible persona he put on whenever he dawned his suit that he protected their city in.

"Sorry, I know how eager you are but I can't have you stepping on this little guy, he's a gift I picked up for a special person," the woman purred as she picked up a small black kitten from the ground where she was centimeters away from her intruder.

"I'm sorry as well, this isn't one of those visits; this one is a serious one."

"But I take all our visits seriously," Selina pouted as the kitten she held jumped out of her arms to find another place in her room to carry on with it's sleep. This comment earned her a raised eyebrow from the man that caused her smile to grow bigger.

"Museum of National History was robbed a couple of days ago-"

"And what makes you think I was one responsible for that little escapade? You know I have no interests in the Vikings."

"That was the same question I asked myself until I did some more digging on the artifacts that were stolen that night. Apparently the missing jewels were called köttur augu, which is Icelandic for Cat Eyes."

"You know sometimes cases aren't that easy to solve, but if you must you can look around the apartment, check my bank account for any suspicious sudden raise in cash. You won't find anything my dear I'm clean," Selina answered as she wrapped her arms around Batman's neck.

When the Batman got an unfavorable reply from the bad guy it would usually lead to an unpleasant integration that would end up with him getting all the information he needed. But with Selina all he needed to do was look into her eyes to see whether she was lying to him. After moments of staring into her bright green eyes that shown like a pair cat's eyes he sighed when he couldn't see the slightest hint of deception. "Well now that you know I'm not the criminal mastermind this time, we can-" She was interrupted by how the man in her arms broke out of her grasp and had begun to walk towards the window he used to break into her home. The sight made her raise an eyebrow as she grabbed hold of the man's long black cape. "Really that's it you come here accusing of a crime I didn't commit and now you think you can just duck out when I have-" "I'm sorry Selina, but I also came to tell you that what we've been doing, has to stop."

"Oh so did the infamous playboy finally fall in love with a decent woman?" she taunted in a playful voice hoping that Batman wouldn't be able to tell how she really felt about the news. Because at this point she didn't know how she really felt about this news either, after all, she knew it would never last even if somewhere deep down she wished that it would. If not for her but for the future, she thought as she placed a hand against her stomach. As her mind was somewhere off in the future, she didn't notice Batman reaching for the buckles that attached his cape to his suit, knowing quite well that Selina wouldn't let go of him otherwise. Before she knew it, before she could say another word he was gone. Already soaring through the night sky leaving her with nothing but his cape to remember the times they had spent together, and the future she could have had with him, the future they could've had with him.


	2. Family & Death - "When I'm with you, my world is prefect."

"Mom, I'm home," a voice came bombing through the apartment as the boy dumped his things at the door were a small black cat came to greet him.

"Hey Onyx, did you miss me?" the boy asked with a smile on his face as the small cat licked him as he picked her up.

"I'm in the living room honey," he heard his mother call back causing him to walk towards the living room where he found his mother curled up on the couch where he had left her this morning. With a sigh placed his cat down before pouncing onto the couch his mother had draped herself across.

"How was school today Leo?" his mother asked softly as she ran her hands through his thick messy black hair. He snuggled up to her side with a purr that made his mother giggle as her fingers ran over fur cat ears that often popped out when her son wanted to be pampered. Her green eyes soon became distracted by his waving black tail as she wondered what she did to deserve such a cute kitten.

"Mundane, like usual," Leo mumbled out lazily as he let out a loud yawn.

"Did you finish your homework?" Selina asked with a teasing smile that earned her a cute pout and an eye roll from her son as he reached for the remote to switch on the television in order to change the subject. Selina could help but slightly frown with worry. School had always been a rough topic with Leo, one in which he never really spoke about. Due to their nightly escapades he has been transferred to so many schools within different countries in order to rob the closest museum to maintain their lavish life style. After noticing tole that their double lives, was putting on her son she had decided to move them permanently to Paris 3 years ago. Stability was supposed to fix the problem, Selina sighed it was what she thought Bruce would have done given the situation. With one more sigh she put the problem at the back of her mind for her future self to deal with, before snatching the remote away from her son and changing it to the local news. With a curious look at his mother, Leo's eyes soon lit up as turquoise eyes fell upon the newest center piece of the Parisian Museum, the Siberian cat claw pendent. Due to the life that he and his mother lived Leo loved reading about different cat related relics all around the world and learning about the stories that made them priceless. This one in particular had caught the twelve-year old's attention. Legend has it that a lost tribe had fashioned the jewel from an unknown crystalloid substance they believed could endow a person with the senses and agility of a real cat.

"Looks like Onyx's getting a new gem for her collar," Leo stated with a mischievous grin as he got up to pet the cat that was now scratching at the television mesmerized by the jewel. It wasn't like Leo really believed in the story behind the jewel or really cared for that matter. It was a shiny one of a kind stone that he thought would look great on Onyx's collar.

"You know you pamper that cat way too much, it almost makes your dear mother sad," Selina whined with a teasing pout as she turned over a picture of her holding her new born child in a warm embrace. This caused the front wall of the living room to open up to reveal a large computer and two leather cat costumes. "Come on mom, are you forgetting the Emerald feline earrings I stole for you last week?" Leo replied as he started to hack into the museum's schematics in so they could come up with an efficient plan.

"It's not my fault you decided to auction it off to raise money for your charity."

"Well the money went towards a good cause," Selina bargained as she draped herself around her son's neck as her keen green eyes scanned the screen as their plan of attack started to form in her head.

"Did I forget to mention that I had to jump out of a collapsing building just to get those earrings due to that heathen detective using a firing squad," Leo hissed out in annoyance at the thought that Monsieur Parker would rather destroy priceless masterpieces as a last dish effort to rid Paris of their cat burglar problem.

"Fine you win I'll just wait for next week, plus I have my eye on the Egyptian feline totem being delivered to England next week," Selina stated while grabbing her suit from its hanger.

"You have a plan of attack already?" Leo questioned as he hoped of the computer seat grabbing his suit before landing next to his mother in order to keep up with her pace.

"Of course, just follow my lead," she purred before ruffling her son's hair one more time before walking into her bedroom in order to change into her suit. Leo soon heard Onyx meow with concern as she padded the heme of his jeans.

"Yeah, your right this will probably be a chaotic night," Leo sighed in agreement with his best friend. Although both him and his mother were very similar, they differed in the way they conducted their heists. Leo usually tried to come up with a plan that took into account all the different factors that could go wrong, while his mother usually improvised on the job when new problems arose. She enjoyed the thrill of almost being 2 seconds between going scot-free or going to jail, while he rather the thrill of a seamless heist. A heist where no one realizes something is missing until it's too late.

-^.^-

"How come I'm not surprised that we're running from not only the police but a Cult of cat worshipers?" Catboy hissed with annoyance as his ears perked up with incoming bullet fire. Without any effort he took his whip out and slashed the incoming bullets cutting them in half before using his whip to hoist himself onto a higher roof top from more cover.

"Well how was I suppose to know that we would have some unwanted competition," Catwoman replied back with a light tone that made her son deadpan. This was the type of thrill and adrenaline his mother craved. With a shrug he gave up on the matter entirely after all if it made her happy, he would endure anything. After all she was all he had next to Onyx.

"I'll let you have your fun today, but next week we're doing things my way," he stated with roguish grin as he had fun cartwheeling between gun shots trying his best to keep up with his mother.

"You're too good to me," Selina purred as she used her whip to slash through a gargoyle directly above Monsieur Parker's police bigrade, giving them a larger problem to deal with to distract them from their getaway. She could almost hear the pompous detective cursing her name. It wasn't the same as when she would allude Dark Knight of Gotham but it was satisfying none the less.

"That takes care of the coppers, but what about our crazed feline friends," Leo questioned as his ears perked up slightly as he remembered the new toys, he had been tinkering with a few weeks ago after they just nearly escaped two trained bounty hunters the police hired to take them down. He zipped down his suit slightly and reached in for a hand full of black marbles.

"Oh, and what are those my sweet kitten?"

"Just some catnip to sooth the raging beasts," Leo replied with a mischievous grin as he chucked the marbles towards their pursuers. Once the marbles landed on their enemy bellow caused a cloud of smoke to engulf the streets leading to a chorus of screeching tires as the men fell off their bikes heavily sedated.

"Wow, that stuffs effective…what is it?"

"I may have mixed catnip powder with a strong chemical sedative during my free chem period," Leo stated nonchalantly as he marveled at his handy work. With a grin, Selina could help but be proud of her son. Even though he acts like school was some kind of evil hell ground she took delight in sending him off to, at least the money she was funneling into his education wasn't going to waste.

"For that display of genius, I'm taking you out to the carnival tomorrow," Selina declared wrapping her son into a hug.

"Isn't tomorrow a school day?" Leo questioned with a surprised look.

"Come on, you can play hooky every now and then. Only if I approve of it," Selina stated sternly with a warm smile on her face. She was about to run her fingers through his hair one more time before 2 familiar scents filled their surroundings. Before her son could sense her uneasy, she reached into his suit and brought out one of the marbles.

"Mom what are you doing?" Leo questioned slightly in panic as he moved away from her. Without any warning Selina cracked the marble causing the smoke to distort Leo's senses. The last thing Leo could remember before fading into the darkness was his mother apologizing before pushing his limp body off the building they were standing on.


	3. Discoveries & Vengeance -"There are times when it's easier to have fallen than to be the one still standing."

"Onyx watch over him," Selina commanded the black cat near the ledge as it followed her masters decent with worried eyes glancing back at Catwoman.

"Now Onyx, go!" she ordered more sternly causing the small black feline to jump off the building. It wasn't long before Selina felt the presence of a heavy-set man and a small lithe woman with green skin and a dress made out of leaves.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty," Poison Ivy cooed sweetly as she advanced towards Catwoman with Bane by her side.

"What are you two doing in Paris?" Selina hissed out with venom as she took an offensive stance. "No need to get your fur in a bunch," Ivy replied. "We didn't come here to fight-"

"However, if you do not reveal the identity of the Batman and hand over that jewel there will be one," Bane interrupted as he pushed Ivy to side and cracked his thick neck on both sides. With a slight glare Ivy dismissed the brute's rudeness and refocused her attention towards her mission.

"Who are you two working for anyway?"

"Does it matter, just give us what we came here for and we'll leave you and your bastard child alone," Bane stated with impatience that only grew when he saw the growing defiance in Selina's eyes.

"Look Selina, we're being paid top dollar to get this priceless artifact and the identity of Batman for our employers," Ivy stated signaling towards the gang of cultists littering the ground passed out bellow.

"Your kidding me you two are working for them? Why?" Selina demanded with growing displeasure with every second she was stuck in this situation.

"Living in captive has made you soft Selina. Isn't obvious they are giving us money and want the Batman dead. Everyone wins. So, are you going to make this easy or fun?" Bane answered drawling closer to Catwoman, which caused her to instinctively reach for her whip. With a slight glance towards the area she had tossed her son off the building she gritted her teeth slightly knowing fully well that she wouldn't be able to take on both of them at once. But she was not about to give up Batman's identity. No matter what he has done to her in the past he didn't deserve to be betrayed…his family didn't deserve it either.

"I guess it's the fun way then," Selina smirked bravely as she descended into battle with her old prison mates from Arkham. Despite Selina's keen fighting instincts, agility, and strength she found herself just barely being able to defend herself in between dodging Ivy's deadly vein whips that were exuding some lethal poison and Bane's swift and equally deadly fists doped up on some new enhance form of venom. After a while Selina was being battered around by Bane as she could feel her muscles slowing down, her senses dulling, and her mind starting to cloud. It took her too long to figure out that Ivy's poisonous plants weren't just deadly with contact but was also pumping the poison into the air. She needed to get out of there, she needed to run. Every fiber in her being was yelling at her to flee; however, she couldn't let them go looking for Leo…even if she died right here, she would never forgive herself she allowed either one to lay a hand on her sweet boy. Thoughts about her son only drove to her push harder against her attackers; however, the poison was soaking itself through her very being to the point all she could see, smell, and feel was nothing. Soon she found herself immobilized and suspended in the air screeching in pain as Ivy's veins wrapped around her scorching through her suit until the poison was directly eating away at her skin.

"Now will you be a good kitty and tell us what we need to know?" Ivy asked impatience as she stopped the vein from spilling through the vein's pores leading to enough pain relief for them to get Selina's answer. As Selina stared blankly at them through ragged breaths tears started to fall from her eyes knowing quite well, she was never going to see her kitten's smile or feel his warmth snuggling into her at the end of each school day. She wasn't going to be able to take him to the carnival tomorrow like she had promised. The very thought of never seeing him again was killing her faster than the poison.

"Haven't you got her to talk yet?" she heard a third speak with annoyance as he approached the two Gotham villains.

"Look we will get her to-"

"Talk? Look at her she's on deaths door and still hasn't said a damn word," the man stated as Selina could hear him cuck a loaded gun at her.

"This is your last chance Catwoman, who is Batman?"

"I-I-I don't –" before she could get the sentence out a loud bang blasted through the air causing Selina's body fall limp as a bullet hole dripped blood down her face. Standing motionless at the savage killing that they witnessed the two Gotham villains quickly snapped to attention as their employer demanded that they find her son this instant. This left Selina's body being chucked off the side of the building into a dumpster down below.

-^.^-

"Arg…my head," Leo whispered as his eye groggily fluttered open only for him to be hit hard with the pounding headache, nausea, and foul smell of trash all at once. I think I'm going to be sick…Leo thought as he shifted in order to sit up only to come face to face with a lifeless stare that froze his body ice cold with fear, shock, and numbness. Beautiful green eyes that used to be so full of life were now motionless and stained with blood from the bullet wound between her eyes. Before Leo could fully process the gravity of the situation, he puking out the side of the trash can as his body trembled with so many emotions whelping up inside him. How could this have happened? The last thing he could remember was his mother sedating him and apologizing before sending him falling into the trash can through a garbage shoot. Did she do all that to protect me from whatever monster that practically mangled my mom's body? Leo thought as anger and regret crashed through. Shit! He cursed. Angry that he wasn't strong enough to protect her. The one person that mattered to him the most him, who has been by his side since he was born was now lying mangled before him chucked away as if her life was meaningless. The very thought cause angry tears to storm down his cheeks in a never ending rain storm with nothing but his best friend to comfort him.

-^.^-

5 hours later

"The notorious Catwoman has finally met her match, as she was just found dead on the corner of –" Leo switched off the news unable to tolerate another new station celebrating his mother's death like they just eradicated some incurable disease. He soon moved his attention towards the master computer trying to hack the security feeds from the building that they had stopped on before he blacked out. It didn't take him long to find and hack into the feed; however, what he saw next stunned him. The brutality of the video made Leo's stomach crunch especially as the room filled with his mother's screams. Who were these people why would they think mother of all people knew the identity of some weird man in a Bat suit?

"Onyx, why would mom know who the Batman is?" Leo questioned as he looked up at the cat soothingly snuggling into his lap for support. With series of meows, Leo soon felt rage swelling up throughout his body, rattling it to his very core.

"So, you mean to say that dead beat that left mother before she could tell him about me is the Batman who is also Gotham's playboy billionaire, Bruce Wayne?" Leo practically growled in pure fury. It disgusted him that his father had just dumped his mother as if she was worthless trash, but that was only scrapping the surface of the rage and hurt he felt boiling within his chest. She died for a fucking worthless bastard. She knew his identity and she couldn't just give it up to live happily with me again. How could his mother choose a low life that broke her heart over him, the one person that always stayed by her side? What could this man do for that he couldn't?! Leon punched the computer table so hard that blood started to flow out of his knuckles as the answer dawned on him. Onyx whimper slightly as the cat licked soothingly at his owner's splintered knuckles with worry heavy in her eyes. The worry only grew as the cat saw a sinister smile appear upon the young boys tear drenched face. "You know what Onyx; this whole thing wasn't mother's fault. That man is to blame. He should've died not mom. I'll make sure he feels the pain mom and I went through," the young boy declared as he begun to make preparations for his revenge against the so-called hero of Gotham City.


	4. The Cat & The Bird "May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't."

"Are you sure that's all you can tell me about Selina Kyles?"

"Ah…let me see…Oh yeah, I don't know how this would help in your investigation, but Miss. Kyles has lived with a small boy ever since she bought this place a couple of years ago," the old lady informed him in a heave French accent, as she rattled her brain for any more information for the nice policeman that had offered her some of the donuts he brought by.

"A child?" was all Commissioner Gordon could utter as the very news puzzled him. Why would someone like Selina be living with a child? Gordon thought as he looked through the papers that had all Selina's activities both in the past and up to present time, none of it mentioned her having a child. However, it wasn't entirely surprising after he had received a call from a detective named Monsieur Parker wanting advice on how to deal with two leather clad cat buglers. As he looked through her apartment already dressed with yellow caution tape from the previous investigation conducted by the Parisian police, he was beginning to wonder who could have been the lucky bastard that knocked up the notorious Catwoman.

"Commissioner Gordon."

"Hello Batman, why am I not surprise to see you here?" Gordon smiled as he lit up a cigarette as he watched Batman begin searching through the apartment by dusting for fingerprints.

"This is a crime scene I make it my business to be here," Batman replied absentmindedly continuing with his work.

"I know, but usually you make it your business at night time and only Gotham..."

"Gordon what are you getting at?" Batman demanded as he looked up at his old friend with a bat glare that was intended to tell Gordon to drop whatever subject he was trying to bring up.

"Oh nothing really, it's just that I always thought you would fry if you ever stepped outside during the day, or were too busy sleeping in a coffin-" "You think I'm here, because of the rumors about Catwoman and Batman-"

"Having a thing was true, well that would be one way to put it. And don't you try to deny it I saw the way you looked at each other even when you were handing her over to us for robbing a museum," Gordon's comment brought nothing but silence as Batman continued to search around to find anything of value, anything that could kick start his investigation into this matter. After moments in silence Gordon decided to drop the subject only because he knew he could never crack the Batman in an interrogation like he could to the villains that were hulled off the streets. Batman's eyes soon fixated on a picture of Selina hugging a smiling baby with what looked like cat ears and a tail. As he went to pick it up, he noticed that the picture was attached to the table itself. Finding it odd he pulled the frame downwards causing the front wall of the living room to open up.

"I guess this must have been their area of operations," Batman murmured in thought as he started to shift through papers filled with Cat related artifacts and their whereabouts.

"Did you know about Selina's kid?" Gordon questioned as he sat at the computer trying to shift through files and Internet browsing history to find anything that may help them find this child assuming he wasn't murder along with his mother.

"No," Batman stated flatly as he took a pen-drive with the Bat logo on it and inserted it into the computer hard-drive in order to copy any all remaining files left on the computer. If there were any. Whoever had entered the apartment before them and Parisian police was good. There was almost no trace of either the boy or Selina's present left.

"News to me too; however, I would bet a lot of money that Bruce Wayne has something to do with all this," Gordon stated as he hacked the computer in order to see all private Internet searches to bring up a recent search on Bruce Wayne. Batman's narrowed slightly at the new found information. Did this child know my secrete identity? Did Selina tell him? Was he trying to find him in order to help him figure out who killed his mother? Batman questioned as he stared harder at the screen.

"Well I wouldn't be surprised if Bruce was the child's father, after all, Selina was public seeing Bruce Wayne by day and you privately by night," Gordon laughed slightly only to frown several seconds later when he noticed his teasing fell on deaf ears as he notice he was alone in the apartment again. Man, would it kill him to at least say goodbye, the old officer thought as he headed out of the apartment and on to where the Parisian police found Catwoman's body this morning to gather more intel. As he walked through the busy streets of Paris he couldn't help but hope that this crime scene he was headed towards would provide more answers than questions; however, knowing his luck he doubt that was going to be the case.

-^.^-

7 hours later in Gotham

"Batgirl what's your current status?" Robin questioned as he took in the view of Gotham perched comfortably on a gargoyle of a near by church.

"Currently busy," Batgirl stated in a huffed out with effort. Robin could hear the noise of the ongoing brawl Batgirl was fighting in the south quadrant of Gotham. The last thing he had heard from her was that she was staking out the Old Gotham Bank due to some info she had gained about the Penguin possibly robbing it tonight from a scared henchman that Nightwing and Batgirl interrogated last night. The very thought of what the two of them did to gain that information made a shiver run down his back.

"Do you require any assistance?" "No thanks, plus we're a little short handed with Nightwing staying back to run an op with the team. Not to mention there is that message we got…take that!" Robin heard yelled out at the end causing his brow to furrow in concern. This was a lovely night for both Batman and Nightwing to be MIA, he thought as the message Batgirl was alluding to came into his mind. Seven hours ago, they had received a message from Batman about Catwoman's murder and how he was going to stay back to on cover more clues and ensure Selina's body gets transported back to Gotham for a proper funeral. However, the really disconcerting part of the message was the part where he told them to be on the look out for a leather clad cat boy looking for the Batman. Although Tim understood the gravity of the situation, he couldn't help but feel that something was off, like there was something crucial they were missing. Tim couldn't think too long about the matter as an income call caused a soft bleeping to feel his ears. He pressed against his ear piece to accept the call. "Sorry to ruin your uneventful night Robin, but someone has broken into the Gotham Museum," Alfred informed him. "On it, Agent A," Robin replied as he took out his grappling gun and leaped into the air while firing the grappling hook at a near by roof top. Finally, some action, Robin thought with a small smile as he made his way towards the museum a few buildings away.

-^.^-

When the Boy Wonder descended upon the scene, he couldn't help but sigh as he saw a huge gaping hole in one of the windows of the museum, which seemed to be made by a rock. What kind burglar in their right mind would use such a crude tactic on such a heavily guarded building? He thought with a sigh as it dawned on him that he was probably dealing either dealing with an amateur or an idiot. Robin could almost taste victory, or so he thought as he flipped into the museum half expecting to see a dumb thief running around in panic as the alarm blared overhead. But instead all he saw was a loud empty room flashing red with every wave of the sirens. Great why couldn't anything ever just be easy, Tim thought with a sigh as he started look around for any clues the prep might have left behind. After moments of coming up blank he went further into the museum in hopes he could hack into the security cameras to see if he could get a visual on the thief to better hone in on their location. But before he could get too far, he stepped on something unusual that caused him to look down at a hissing cat.

"What the hell?!" Robin whispered in shock as he lifted his foot from the small cat's tail. He didn't have a lot of time to recover before he fell right back into shock as he heard a childish snicker arise from the shadows moments before a dark figure revealed himself from the rafters.

"Hey Birdie-birdie, what does a guy have to do to gets the Bat's attention?" The figure questioned with boredom heavy in his playful tone as he stretched out his back with a yawn as if he were a cat. This couldn't be happening, Tim thought as he fell into a fighting stance. What were the odds that he would have to face Selina's protégé right off the bat, solo, and was right about having alternative motives for seeking out Batman? Dang it, must I always be right?

"Progress report Robin," Robin heard Agent A question through his coms.

"You aren't going to believe this-" before Robin could give Alfred a proper description of his situation he received a punch that sent him flying towards the wall behind him. "Oooohhh, is that Daddy Bats? Sorry I'm going to break your precious canary," the dark figure clad in black leather with real cat ears and a tail purred out sensually into Robin's ear. The very sensation caused Robin's skin to crawl for moments before he forced himself to snap out of it and focus on kicking butt.

"Robin, what's your status?!" he heard questioned more urgently in his ear this time; however, Tim couldn't deal with Alfred's over protection of him at this current moment. Not when he had a pair of cat eyes behind orange goggles following his every moment ready to pounce the second, he let his guard down again.

"Sorry, Agent A can't talk, there's a kitten that's about to lose all nine of his lives," Robin replied curtly as he tried to kick Catboy off him but before he could make contact the boy leaped away, landing gracefully in a crouching position next to his cat.

"Are you sure you can handle all this Baby bird?" Catboy cooed out tauntingly causing annoyance to build up in Robin. What was this guy's deal anyway? Why did this kid come all this way from Paris to break into a museum when he already knew who Batman's secrete ID. He could have just as easily showed up to the Manor if he really wanted the Batman's help in solve the mystery behind his mother's murder. With a sigh Tim put away the growing pile of multiplying questions he had about the teen to put all his effort into not being ripped to shreds by said teen's talon like claws.

"What is your problem? We can help you figure out what happened to your mother," Tim tried to bargain as they traded blows, both on equal standing. However, any hope of reasoning with the younger teen soon flew out of his head when he saw all amusement drain from Catboy's face. Before Tim could even braise himself, he found himself narrowing escaping the bite of Catboy's whip.

"I think I have had enough of this game. You aren't particularly entertaining," Catboy hissed out dangerously as he walked slowly towards Robin with a sinister smile plastered across his face. No matter what Robin threw at the cat like figure the boy always knew exactly how to counter him. No amount of bater-o-rangs or hand to hand combat could even leave a scratch on the guy, and yet as Robin glanced downwards, he really did look as battered and beaten as he felt. He amassed three large deep cat scratches along his arms and one across his back. I need to call for back up, he thought as he reached to touch his ear to activate his com. But before he could his arm was caught in a vice grip via Catboy's whip.

"Don't go get any ideas now, my little bird. Aren't you enjoying our alone time together?" Catboy purred out with a sweet seductive tone. When Tim looked up into the boy's eyes all he could see was a sick sinister coldness that sent a shiver down his spine. What came next left Tim feeling nothing but rage and embarrassment as he found himself hanging from the side of the museum by Catboy's whip wrapped around his abdomen, completely stripped naked of everything but his domino mask.

"Give me back my suit," Tim demanded as he glared downwards at the glowing cat themed teen, who was admiring his handy work with a devious grin.

"Sorry no can do. Your suit makes a prefect souvenir for my first successful heist in Gotham City," Catboy purred as he held out the museum center piece artifact, the Eyes of Anubis. The sight completely left Tim speechless. How was this kid able to best him so easily, humiliate him, and still able to get away with the museum's crown jeweled artifacts?

"By the way, tell Daddy Bats that I'll be patiently waiting for his arrival back to Gotham to settle the score," Catboy stated cheerfully before fading into the shadows of the night before Tim could question him further. Settle the score? What score? Did this kid think Batman killed his mother? What the hell was going on here?! Tim thought in a panic as his growing mountain of questions spilled over into a pounding headache.

"Umm…Robin, why are you naked?" A voice questioned with worry heavily knitted in each word. This caused Tim to redirect his attention to Batgirl staring back up at him from her motorcycle. Could this night get any worse? Tim questioned as Batgirl drove him back to the cave with her cape draped over him.


	5. Humiliation & Loneliness  "What loneliness is more lonely than distrust."

"What's the status on Robin's injuries?" Bruce questioned as he stepped into the Batcave, while taking off his cowl. Alfred slightly sighed in annoyance at his first charge's lack of formalities.

"He sustained several lacerations to the arms and back. He required 30 stitches," Alfred answered back with worry in his face as he could see the grimace on Bruce's face darken. "He's going to be alright, Master Bruce," Alfred whispered as he placed a hand on his ward's shoulder to calm him down knowing quite well after the death of the second Robin, Jason Todd, Bruce did not fare well when hearing about news of injuries to any of the boys he now viewed as his sons. With a sigh Bruce gave the butler a small thankful smile before heading towards the med-bay.

"You can't be serious. He really stripped him stock naked?" Bruce heard cackled out as he entered the room where he saw both Barbra and Dick trying to hold in snickers at the expense of his youngest protégé.

"Yeah he took everything leaving nothing but his mask to maintain his dignity," Barbra confirmed while joining in on the laughter.

"Will you guys quit it already it wasn't even that funny!" Tim yelled over the giggles in embarrassment, which only worsened as Bruce cleared his throat to redirect the children's attention towards him.

"Alfred has informed me that you had a run in with Catwoman's protégé. Tell me everything that happened," Bruce ordered as he took a seat at the head of Tim's bed with Barbra and Dick on either side quieting their laughter to allow for the debriefing to occur.

Throughout Tim's report, Bruce could feel tension slowly boiling within him as the identity of Catwoman's protégé was starting to become painfully clear. He had been a fool not to contemplate the possibility that the boy, Selina had been raising in Paris could be his son. Based on the information he had found out about her son; Leon Kyles is a twelve-year-old boy born nine months after he had ended things with Selina. There still was the possibility he wasn't the father; however, knowing who Selina was he doubt it. When they were together years ago, he never doubted her loyalty to him for a second. The only things Tim's encounter with the mysterious boy did not clear up were: why neither his mother or Leo ever reach out to him? And, why Leo's target was him rather than Poison Ivy, Bane, or the cat cult that had ordered for Selina's execution.

"Hello Earth to Bruce," Bruce heard yelled loudly causing his head to snap upwards in the direction of his oldest son, who met his light blue eyes with dark blue eyes filled with worry.

"Tim's encounter does clear some things up; however, there is still a lot we don't know about this matter. For now, we have no choice but to view Leon Kyles, aka Catboy, as a threat until proven otherwise," Bruce stated as he got up from his seat.

"And where are you going?" Dick questioned as his dark blue eyes narrowed at Bruce slightly, knowing quit well there was something he was hiding from them.

"To continue my investigation into Catwoman's murder," Bruce answered flatly without stopping on his way out.

"Really so you spent nine hours in Paris and only managed to gain information about Catboy's true identity?" Dick questioned further in hopes to bait the information out of Bruce; however, he soon dropped the topic entirely within seconds of baring the full weight of this father's bat glare. Bruce left the room completely quite as all of them could clearly see that there was more to the story than what Bruce was willing to tell them.

However, as the weeks went by with Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin preoccupying themselves with work on the Team and Batman diving deeper into Selina's case all of them knew the truth was going to have to come out from the darkness sooner or later and no amount of bat glares was going to it at bay. Not with the state of panic Catboy's antics were putting Gotham through as he hit one museum after another. Stealing millions of dollars in priceless cat themed artwork without leaving a trace.

-^.^-

1 month later in Gotham at National Museum

"How is the party going so far Master Bruce? Any sign of our stray cat?" Alfred questioned through Bruce's com link as he was walking away from chatting with the Mayor of Gotham and his wife.

"No signs yet, but I know he'll be here," Bruce confirmed as he did another once over of the entire venue looking for any signs of the young cat themed child antics. It has been just a little bit over a month since their first encounter with Selina's son and already he has managed to steal 10 priceless art pieces and over 12 cat related artifacts from museums and private collectors all over Gotham. Bruce could see why the Parisian authorities had such a hard time capturing the thieving duo, Catboy especially. Unlike his mother, Leon did not seem to enjoy the thrill of being hunted. From what Bruce has been able to gather from each crime scene the young boy meticulously studied each museum beforehand. Coming up with foolproof plans that allowed him to be in and out of the museums with his target without tripping any alarms or leaving any clues behind. Normally in cases like these, Bruce usually tried to predict where the villain was going to strike next; however, there was no clear method to this child's madness. It seemed like he was just randomly picking cat related artwork that intrigued him. After several failed attempts to capture Catboy, both the commissioner and Batman devised a plan to lower Catboy into a single spot they knew he would have no choice but to show up to, which was the National Museum's unveiling of the Egyptian feline totem. It was a circled artifact that Batman had come across when he was investigating Selina's apartment.

"Are you sure you require no back up on this high priority mission?" Alfred questioned with worry, knowing quite well that failure to return the Egyptian totem to England was not an option.

"I know the gravity of the situation Alfred, and you know why I have to do this alone," Bruce answered as he started to make his way around the party of fancy ball gowns and suits in order to see if he or any of the many security guards covering the venue had miss anything.

"Very well-" Alfred broke off mid-sentence just before Bruce could react the lights went out causing the party goers to start to scatter around in the darkness as shirks of panic filled the air. Within the confusion and terror Bruce managed to slip out long enough to change into his Bat suit. When he arrived back on the scene, he had to quickly whip out a gas mask from his utility belt. The room that had once been bright and bustling with cheerful conversation was now a dark eerie room with those same party goers collapsed on the floor under a cloud of rising smoke.

"Why hello Batman, you've finally found some way to corner me. Good for you," a teasing tone stated with a slow sarcastic clap. The voice caused Batman's gaze to move towards the chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room where he saw Catboy lazily lounging around on. "Although I am quite disappointed that it took you so long and this plan…I give it a -1 points for creativity."

"You knew I would find those documents in your apartment, didn't you?" Batman questioned as his eyes narrowed at the glee in the young boy's eyes at the very prospect that he may have out smarted the man claimed to be the greatest detective of all time.

"Of course, the only reason why I actually showed up was because I was becoming bored waiting for you to come and find me or actually be able to foil one of my heists."

"Look I am not sure what type of game your playing at, but this isn't what your mother would have wanted, she sacrificed-"

"Shut up!" Batman heard boom throughout the room as the child hoped gracefully off the chandelier to land several feet in front of Batman with a look that told Batman that he had stepped on a very raw nerve. "You don't get to tell me what she would've wanted. How the hell would you know anyway?!" Catboy hissed out almost animalistically as he sent his whip cracking from side to side as he advanced closure to the target of his fury. "Honestly, I don't know why she threw her life away for some pompous big shot who treated her like trash," he finished with a snarl as he pounced towards Batman.

Those very words hit Batman like a ton of breaks as it firmly confirmed his greatest fear, the worst possible scenario. The night he had broken things off with Selina was the night she was probably going to tell him of her pregnancy. If he hadn't pushed her away for something as selfish as his reputation, he may have stopped all this from happening in the first place. Selina would have never gone back to the life of a common thief and their child may have grown up to be happy. He thought as the cold look in his son's eyes reminded him of the eyes, he saw staring back at him when he was a child still mourning the death of his own parents. Knowing all this Batman let the child have what he came here for, and that was to see him suffer the same way the young boy was suffering on the inside. Although, Batman knew this alone wasn't going to help heal his son's wounds; however, he hoped that it would allow him to blow off some steam even if it was only a fraction of it at least for the little time they had alone together.

-^.^-

A sinister laugh ushered through Leo with every slash of his whip that made contact. This is what he had been dreaming off since he had stepped on Gotham soil. It wasn't until he stood over his father delivering blow after blow before he saw the pity edged into Batman's face. This wasn't how things were so supposed to be, Leo hissed to himself as he picked up Batman by his collar. "Why the hell won't you fight back?!" Leo roared in anger as shook through his body.

"Look I didn't set this whole thing up with the intent of fighting you. What I wanted was the motive behind leaving your mother's body in the custody of the Parisian Police to go on a frivolous thieving spree across Gotham City, and for what end? To get my attention?" Batman stated causing the child to visibly pause as each word cut into him like a knife.

"Shut the fuck up! You are not going twist things around and make me seem like the bad guy, when this whole situation is entirely your fault! I don't have a mother anymore…I don't have anyone because of you!" Leo snarled out with venom as he took out a small detonating device, which caused Batman's eyes to widen ever so slightly in surprise. "I thought by coming here and pounding some sense into you, I wouldn't have to resort to this," Leo stated with a rougish smile as his eyes narrowed dangerously at Batman. "With one push of this button everyone in Gotham City will know you true identity and the identities of everyone you hold dear."

"You wouldn't dare," Batman spat out as kicked the child off of him causing the wireless remote to be flung out of Leo's hands towards the other side of the room. Without missing a single beat Leo landed on all fours and made a dash for the detonator, but before he could lay a finger on the remote Onyx had grabbed in her mouth and jumped on to the chandelier.

"Onyx! What the hell are you doing! Bring that back right now!" Leo roared out as he took his whip out so that he could swing up to the cat's level to pry the remote from her if necessary.

"Stop it Leon Kyles!" a familiar voice echoed through the room causing both costumed individuals to stop dead in their tracks. The voice sounded exactly like the sultry feminine voice of the woman both males held dear in their hearts.

"Mother?" Leo questioned as he stared up at Onyx who was projecting his mother's voice.

"Not exactly, I am Onyx an animalistic android created by Dr. Ivo. I have been programed to look out for you Master Leo and to make sure you find your father, Bruce Wayne, in the unfortunate event Selina passes away," Onyx replied while sitting calmly on the chandelier as she watched her owner carefully with worry heavy in her eyes.

"So, you were never going to let take my revenge, were you?" Leo stated with anger as his body shook with the weight of his best friend's betrayal. Of course, she would take his side mother programed her after all, Leo thought as his legs soon gave out with the weight of the emotions pounding down on him. Tears came pooling down his face as it dawned on him that he was truly alone in this world. Sensing the boy's defeat, Batman made his way towards the young boy in order to comfort him. To tell him that everything was going to be alright and that he would try his best to make up for the past twelve years he wasn't around. However, before he could even form a sentence, he heard the doors to the museum's ballroom burst open causing a wave of Gotham police officers to swarm the place.

As Batman watched them handcuff the boy and start to read out his rights, he couldn't help but inwardly kicking himself for forgetting the thirty-minute deadline Gordon gave him to apprehend Catboy before he sent in the S.W.A.T team.

"Batman!" the young boy cried out in desperation with a hope that Batman could get him out of this mess, after all, he was rich and this was America. Everyone knew that anyone with any money or prestige could wiggle themselves and their family members around the law. As Leo saw his father look away from him as Onyx now sat quietly at his side, he knew despite all Bruce Wayne's prestige and money he wasn't going to spend a single penny on trash like him like he couldn't spend one minute of his precious time for his mother to tell him she was pregnant. Misery washed over the small boy as he was pulled away in shackles.


	6. Depression & Healing -"The bravest thing I have ever done was continuing to live when I wanted to die."

"Thanks for coming on such short notice Dick…however, I'm not going to lie I was expecting Bruce to be here after he asked me to keep on eye on his son," Gordon stated with a huff, slightly peeved that Bruce made such a big deal about keeping an eye on his son three months ago and was nowhere to be found when it really counted.

"Sorry Commissioner, but you know Bruce he would have been here if he could," Dick apologized as he followed the older gentleman through a metal detector after being searched by security for any contraband.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It just that I pulled a lot of strings to get Leo out this early. If it weren't for the dire circumstance the boy would be confined here indefinitely until his sentence was served. So, don't go any ideas that I'll be doing something like this again," Gordon warned as he took Dick up towards the monitoring room.

"Speaking of dire circumstances, what was so urgent that you had to go to such lengths," Dick questioned as his eyes flickered towards the monitor displaying jail cell number 13. What he saw made a grimace appear on his face as he looked upon a quivering figure curled in on himself in a corner of his jail cell.

"Well I got a friend who works here as one of the disciplinary guards to keep a written record on inmate 13 and to give me weekly reports on his behavior and well-being," Gordon began as he handed Dick the file to start reading through it. "He started to notice a change in Leo's behavior at the beginning of last month. He stated that he was starting to slowly become more distant and guarded around the other inmates. He also received reprimanding for trying to skip out on daily showers. At first it didn't seem like such abnormal behavior until…"

"Until?" Dick questioned with a raised eyebrow as he looked up to see Gordon visibly turn a couple shades whiter while he tried to come up with the best way to explain the news.

"Until…last week he was found naked and unconscious in the middle of the shower bay with deep laceration long his back-"

"What and this happened last week?!" Dick questioned with suspicion as he watched the older man fidget slightly still trying to come up with the best way to deliver the rest of the news without having the full force of Bruce's influence and money reign down on the Juvenile Delinquent Center.

"Yeah unfortunately some of the staff who found him, knowing who his father is, decided to cover it up and threw the poor child back into his cell and he's been that way ever since."

"What? They just threw him back with no medical attention?" Dick questioned putting the file back down, knowing nothing written in the file would bring him closer to finding out what kind of horrors the boy might have experienced. The file was filled with a behavioral and food log only. There was too much time uncounted for, for his liking. "Gordon you do realize what this looks like, right?"

"Yes, I am well aware of the child endangerment laws as they pertain to the Correctional Center. All I ask is that you allow me to do this investigation instead of receiving a lawsuit from Bruce Wayne closing the whole place down. I'll make sure to find the culprits and the staff that didn't report this incident immediately," Gordon bargained causing Dick to sigh slightly knowing quite well Bruce would allow Gordon to look into the matter; however, Batman would find some way to force his way into the investigation somehow.

Unfortunately, Batman was no longer on Earth due to sixteen hours that were uncounted for when the Light managed to take control of the Justice League. During said time they had the Justice Leaguers do unspeakable crimes on the planet Rimbor and now they were called off world to stand trial. All Leo had was him and Alfred to take care of him and due to his commitments to the Team he agreed to allow Gordon to handle the matter without any interference with Gotham's heroes.

With that matter sorted out Gordon brought Dick down towards the cells where a less than pleasant security guard open the cell door yelling for the inmate to get up. The whole scene did nothing to improve Dick's opinion about how the staff treated the children they were task on disciplining so that they could be fully functional members of society.

-^.^-

As Leo lied on the ground in excoriating pain rattling his body in pulsating waves, he felt dead on the inside nothing but a useless husk of person not even his mother wouldn't want if she could see what he had become. She probably would have viewed him as weak, after all, his mother was no stranger to being in jail. Heck, she would tell him stories about how her and a group of women would rule over the other jail inmates and how she even managed to escape a few times.

This wasn't supposed to be a big deal not to someone like me. Not for someone who was trained by the world's greatest thief. And yet as flashes of boys leering over him as they tortured every inch of his body, everyone moment felt like a big deal to him. He could remember each time it occurred, each time the group of boys would gain up on him for their own entertainment leaving nothing but a dying person battered and bruised with nothing to hold onto not even a shred dignity, in their wake.

Leo's ears slight pricked up as he could feel his cell door open only to let in the yelling of the commanding officer of their division blaring throughout the holding chamber. This caused Leo to huddled closer to himself praying that the officer would just give up for once and go pick on another inmate.

"Alright I have had enough of you inmate 13," Leo heard yell out as his ears picked up the crisp sound of a taser lunging towards him. The very thought of the taser caused Leo's body to instantly tighten up into a small ball in anticipation for the impending burst of pain he has become so custom to.

"Wait what the yell do you think your doing?" a voice yelled out in rage as the taser fell to the ground inches away from Leo's body. The voice caused Leo to peek behind him to come face to face with a pair of soft dark blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Leo whispered turning towards Dick with eyes glazed over in pain and confusion. The very sight of the boy drenched in sweat with dry blood caked to the back of his inmate uniform caused Dick's fists to tense slightly for a second before remembering who he was dealing with. If the boy was anything like a real cat Dick had to channel calming thoughts in order not to scare the poor thing.

"Hi we haven't met yet, but I'm Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's foster son," he stated with a warm smile as he reached out a hand to help the boy up. For seconds Dick couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh as the boy merely glared at the out stretched hand. Smooth move Grayson, mentioning the one person the kid probably hates the most, Dick thought as he thought over his introduction. "I've come to pick you up from this place and take you back to the Manor."

"Will he be there?" Leo questioned hesitantly not knowing whether he wanted to face his father or not. Over the last few months he contemplated what occur that night over and over in his head and each time the conclusion to who was wrong in the situation always left him with a conflicting answer.

"No, unfortunately he's on a really important business trip he couldn't cancel," Dick answered slightly confused when he saw the child's face sour slightly before he finally allowed Dick to help him up. When their palms touched Dick couldn't help but feel worry over come him as the boy's touch felt fidget cold; however, his palms were completely sweaty.

"Are you feeling okay," Dick questioned as he saw the boy sway slightly. Not wanting to chance having the child collapse on him from neglect and starvation, Dick effortless hoisted him into his arms and started to walk away with him despite the security guard's angry yells about following protocol.

"You know I can walk, fine," Leo stated with a slight pout that made Dick smile slightly as he hugged the boy closer to his body.

"It's no problem, what are big brothers for," Dick replied causing the boy's pout to deepen; however, despite the boy's lack of trust Dick still felt him snuggle slightly into chest for more comfort.

-^.^-

The car drive back to the Manor was a quiet and awkward one as Dick could feel turquoise eyes following his every move as if the boy was waiting in anticipation for him to show some sinister motive. "So, what do you prefer to go by Leo or Leon," Dick questioned in order to make some light conversation only to have the child answer "Leo" flatly before once again the car descended into quietness. Man, I really should have allowed Babs to handle this or at least brought her long for moral support, Dick thought with a slight groan. Dick didn't feel at ease until they were both standing in front of the Manor with Alfred waiting at the door to greet his newest charge.

"I am Alfred, the butler of the Manor, and you must be Master Leon. It's nice to finally get to meet you," Alfred stated with a friendly smile that faltered slightly as the boy merely glared down at the butler's outstretched hand before walking past it. It wasn't anything Alfred did or said it was the fact that the man was a living symbol of how prestigious and entitled his father was. Feeling comfortable in the luxurious mansion didn't seem like an option Leo could afford not with how easily his father had tossed his mother out of it for not matching the fancy and expensive atmosphere of the mansion.

"Hey, Leo you can't just disrespect Alfred like-" Dick begun but he was cut off by Alfred who gave him a pleading look to drop the subject. If this had been a different case there was no way Dick could simply drop the subject. But this kid had gone through a lot and judging by the report Bruce had written up had a lot of trust issues. As Alfred led his youngest charge upstairs, they were greeted warmly by a stern but regale pure black Great Dane. As the dog made his way towards Leo to start to sniff him out, Leo reflexively recoiled with a hiss.

"Of course, mom would fall for a dog lover," Leo whispered in spite causing both Alfred and Dick to share a worried glance. "He better not of harmed Onyx," He continued with one last glare at the dog before turning away from the whimpering mutt. "No, Ace would never do such a thing. He's kind of like a teddy bear to anyone introduced into the Manor, it's intruders that need to worry," Dick explained as Alfred opened a door causing Onyx to pounce out and into Leo's arms. The very sight of the two purring as they snuggled up to the others face, caused the two adults to let out a sigh of relief. Both equally glad there was at least one thing that could soften the child's foul mood.

"Master Leon, I am cooking grilled Mackerel and rice for lunch. Is there anything else you would like for lunch or a change in the menu perhaps?"

"My name is just Leo, and I am not hungry," Leo stated in a hiss as he headed into the room Alfred was holding open for him.

"Also both Onyx and I can fend for ourselves, it's been that way since we were small and it will be the same way when Bruce decides to kick us back out on the streets when we become too much for him to handle," Leo finished while slamming the door on Alfred's face.

-^.^-

"Can you believe that kid's attitude?" Dick questioned with annoyance at the very sight of the most cherished member of the family being so blatantly disrespected. Dick soon took a deep breath as he remembered how the child had been treated in the Correctional Center and there was the fact that he seen his mother's dead body. Although, it wasn't the same as watching her die it still had to have left a pretty traumatic scar on his psyche. A scar Dick was all too familiar with.

"Just give him a few days, he just needs to warm up to us, and realize he's in a safe environment now," Alfred advised as he started skillfully preparing lunch with a side of freshly baked cookies, trusting the power of his cookie recipe. He hadn't met a single child whose rough attitude didn't melt with one bite.

"Lucky for Bruce, he can just dump this responsibility on me. The one person who sucks at this kind of stuff," Dick admitted with a stress filled look edged into his face.

"Well you certainly are faring better than I would imagine Bruce would, you at least got him to come home with you," Alfred encouraged as he handed Dick a spoon filled with cookie dough as he placed the rest of the unbaked cookies in the oven before getting started on making the rice and grilling the Mackerel. Dick gladly took the spoon while muttering a thank you as he savored the sweetness of the cookie dough in his mouth.

-^.^-

Once lunch was served both Alfred and Dick went upstairs to try and get the kid out of bed and join them; however, before they could get to Leo's room, they could hear loud sharp panicked meows and scratching from the door. When they finally pried open Leo's locked door. Onyx pounced out in a worried frenzy. "It's Leo somethings wrong," she spoke causing both men to stare at the cat for several seconds while they acknowledge that she could talk before rushing over to Leo who was gasping for air and sweating profusely.

"What's going on?" Dick questioned Alfred who was quickly examining the boy from head to toe. When his eyes fell on to the grossly infected laceration marks on his back and the deepening non-blanching purple rash on his legs, the butler wasted no time calling for an ambulance. As Dick watched the whole scene unfold before his eyes, he really couldn't imagine what this child must of went through and how it was possible for him to hide such a serious infection from them by acting for what Dick was assuming was normal for him given the circumstances.

-^.^-

"How is our little kit doing?" Babs questioned as she rushed into the hospital waiting room in a huff. Dick couldn't help but smile up at her. Thankful that she was the one person he could always count on to have his back. Especially at times like this where he wasn't sure whether he was going to lose another brother like figure in his life.

"Kit?" Dick questioned with slight amusement.

"It's short for kitten, so what's his current status?" she answered with an equally amused tone before drifting back into a serious tone near the end.

"The last report from the doctor wasn't good. The wounds he sustained in the Correctional Center were deeply infected leading to a blood infection called Meningococcal septicemia," Dick answered in a worried tone. "I should have picked up on the sickness sooner, but because he seemed perfectly normal beside from a temperature, I didn't think it was anything serious," Dick stated with guilt knowing that he should have given the child a through once over before leaving the Center.

"Look this isn't your fault, you're doing the best you can, and plus we are just meeting Leo for the first time. We know virtually nothing about him. So, it's okay that you didn't pick up on this, you'll definitely pick up on it next time," she stated in a soothing voice as she ran a few fingers through his dark raven colored hair to comfort him. With her touch Dick couldn't help but feel all his worry melt away...well at least until he saw the doctor taking care of Leo make a bee line towards them.

"Hello again Mr. Grayson, and who might this be?" the female doctor with dark brown hair and slightly tanned skin questioned politely, not giving anything away about the state that Leo was currently in.

"My name is Barbra Gordon, a friend of the family…would it be okay if I go and take a look at Leo?"

"Of course, just be quite he's currently sleeping at the moment the pain killers we have him on is making him a little bit drowsy."

"Thank you doctor," Barbra replied as she left Dick's side knowing what was coming next was probably only for immediate family ears, and although they weren't exactly related by blood Dick was probably the closest to family next to Alfred, who would be on his way to the hospital later on when he gets in contact with Bruce to inform him of the news.

"So, what's the verdict doctor?" Dick questioned with anxiety deeply rooted in each word he spoke.

"Well, the antibiotics are doing their job and from the looks of the MRI we did of his back the infection hadn't spread to the bone. So, I would say at this point we are in the clear," the doctor reported with a slight smile, which Dick returned with one of his own, relieved that he wouldn't have to go through another death in the family.

"However, I am concern for his well-being. From what you have told me about his stay in the Correctional Center I have informed some social workers to conduct their own investigation on the well-being of the other children."

"Thank you doctor, Gotham's lucky to have someone like you looking out for the kids," Dick answered with a breathtaking smile that barely fazed the young woman.

"Look Mr. Grayson," the doctor started as she bent down his level with a worried look across her face. "Leo will make a full recovery, but he needs counseling and maybe needs to see a child psychiatrist."

"Your right, he's had it rough and currently I'm all he has until his father comes back from a very long business trip," Dick stated with a downward gaze as he stressfully racked a hand through his hair. "Right now, Leo has so many walls up around him…I don't know what to do to help."

"You're a really great older brother, he's lucky to have someone like you too, watching his back," the doctor complimented as she got back from a crouched position. "Look, I have a little brother too, who went through a hard time when my parents got a divorce when we were younger. What helped then was getting involved in a group sport like Basketball. He was able to let out all his pent-up emotions and make friends that helped through a lot of the painful points in that situation that I couldn't. Maybe try something like that," the doctor advised before leaving to return to tend to her other patients. Little did the doctor know how much her words had truly helped to inspire Dick, who now had a content smile on his face as a plan brewed in his mind. He only hoped that this idea didn't do more harm than good.


	7. The Team & Felon Bae  "We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our paths for a reason."

"Come on cheer up Kit, stop acting as if I am sending you off to a death sentence," Nightwing stated as he glanced over at a still pouting twelve year curled up with his cat facing away from him.

"Look, I know how hard this must be for you. But I think meeting the team will do you some good, and before you know it they'll be like a second family-"

"Are you kidding me?" Leo hissed back; for the first time in what seemed like hours since they started the drive from Gotham city to Happy Harbor.

"I'm just saying that between living with Bruce and the Cave I never really felt lonely growing up despite Bruce's aloofness."

"Will you stop comparing our situations. I doubt a gang of self-righteous do gooders are going to accept a criminal wanted in 5 European countries," Leo stated flatly as he absentmindedly petted Onyx's fur.

"Look, I'm sure-"

"Just fucking shut up already!" Leo growled out causing Dick to force himself not to sink to the child's level.

"You can't continue to speak to me like that."

"Oh really? And what're you going to do about it?" Leo questioned in a taunting manner as he redirected his gaze towards Dick. A humorless smile soon spread across his face as he watched how the muscles in Dick's arms tensed around the stirring wheel for a couple of seconds, as if he was contemplating punching the younger teen, before relaxing as a large sigh ushered out of his mouth.

"I am just trying to help you-"

"Help me out? How very kind of you," Leo answered in a sweet tone with an exaggerated eye roll.

"As if he didn't order you to take care of me. You should do yourself a favor and give up. The old man will probably kick me out sooner or later making all this a useless waste of time," Leo stated before turning away from Dick once more to continue staring blankly out of the car window. With one more heavy sigh Dick re-directed his full attention back on the road knowing very well that no matter what he told the younger boy each word would only be interpreted as sweet nothings. I guess I should probably just be grateful that Alfred even managed to get him in the car, Dick thought as he braced himself for what was looking like a difficult trial ahead of him.

-^.^-

It wasn't long before their painfully awkward journey from Gotham City to Happy Harbor soon came to an end as Dick pulled up towards the Team's base of operation. With the mountain in view Dick soon placed his domino mask back on before turning towards the boy next to him.

"Look I know this whole arrangement is not ideal, but can you at least put up with it until he gets back?" Nightwing questioned softly with a faint pleading look that caused the young boy to grimace slightly before willingly following the older teen into the Team's secret base with a duffel bag slung across his back and Onyx held closely to his chest.

"Hey, you two," they heard called out to them as the door to the hanger swung open.

"Hey Batgirl," Nightwing greeted as they continued to walk towards the base's missions room where Nightwing had instructed Batgirl to gather the team in order to formally introduce the newest member to their ever-growing ranks of teen superheroes.

"So, did you debrief the team about the situation," Nightwing questioned as they got into an elevator to transport them to the deeper levels of the cave.

"And take away your thunder? Why I could never do such a thing to our great Leader," Bat-girl answered in a teasing tone that quickly turned into a quite giggle as she caught a quick look of terror cross Nightwing's face seconds before he could compose himself.

"Can you two stop it already?" Leo growled out as he clutched Onyx closer to his chest.

"Whatever do you mean, Leo?" Bat-girl questioned sweetly as she reached out to ruffle the young boy's raven hair; however, her hand was met with a swift flick of Leo's hand to swat away her gesture of affection.

"Don't insult my intelligence, I know you two are talking about me. So, let's just drop the act, shall we?" Leo stated as the elevator doors opened causing both elder teens to note how his arms around Onyx ever so slightly tightened as the faces of every member of the Team came into view.

"The sooner we get this over with the sooner I can get back to my quiet room in the Manor." If the fact that Leo was nervous wasn't evident to the teens before it was now. Both of them shared a worried look before re-directing their focus towards the crowd of teen heroes surrounding the elevator eagerly awaiting to see what was so big that Nightwing called them into the missions room without any notice of an upcoming mission. With a silent prayer Nightwing let Bat-girl exist the elevator first before Nightwing took hold of the teen's shoulder for reassurance as they followed Bat-girl out.

"Hey guys, really happy everyone could make it. I called you here today to introduce you to our newest member, Leo Kyles, aka Catboy," Nightwing stated as he nudged Leo forward slightly so that the team could get a better view of him.

"Nightwing is this some kind of joke?" Cassidy questioned with a pointed look of shock and displeasure at her leader. Ignoring the equally displeased glare Nightwing shot back at her she continued to voice out her opinions.

"Why are you allowing a known criminal onto the team…especially one that has hospitalized one of our own." Hearing this caused Nightwing to send a bat-glare towards Robin for divulging such information to the rest of the Team so freely. He sighed inwardly as he was confronted with an equally annoyed glare from Robin at the very prospect that he was left out of the loop on this decision.

"Oh, you mean…your boyfriend over there?" Leo questioned with an innocent smile, which caused Nightwing to inwardly face palm knowing quite well that there was no salvaging this situation.

"WHAT?! He is not my boyfriend!" Cassidy stated a bit too loud for anyone in the room to take her seriously.

"Oh well, so what if I beat him up? What are you gonna do about it, Princess?" Leo stated in a bored tone, which was the last straw as that comment sent Cassidy flying towards him with a fist ready to pummel Leo's face in.

Without any signaling Superboy was there to intercept Cassidy seconds before her fist could make contact. With a silent nod of appreciation Nightwing turned towards his teammates.

"Look Catboy is going to be a member of this team starting today, and with that said, we do not harm our teammates is that understood?" Nightwing stated pointing the statement directly at Cassidy who grudgingly relented as she broke out of Conner's hold before storming back to her spot in the crowd of teens.

"Even so can we really trust a kid straight out of a correctional center?" M'gann questioned with worry heavy in her tone, which caused the rest of the team to break out in quite whispers debating the Martian's point.

"Like she can talk about trust," Conner grunted out quietly. The situation in the room caused both Nightwing and Batgirl to share a worried look as they both racked their brains for a solution to save the sinking ship before them. However, before either of them could come up with a plan, a flash appeared before their eyes as Bart Allan, one of their most recent recruits dashed into the middle of the clearing right next to Leo. Before anyone could fully grasp what was going on the speedster soon had an arm around a bewildered Leo's neck.

"Hey guys why don't we look on the bright side we now have a trending topic on the team, Felon Bae," Bart announced showing the team the number 1 trending topics of the month on the Twitter account he just recently made on the new phone his grandfather had gifted him in order to better keep track of the hyperactive speedster.

"Really dude? What does being a trending topic have to do with being a superhero?" Blue Beetle questioned with a slight eye roll at his friend's antics.

"Well if you must know we now have America's most desired teen heart-throb on the team…I mean if America can give him a second chance why can't we?" Bart countered with a large smile that only caused Blue Beetle to face palm.

"Impulse is right, no one's prefect and we should allow him a second chance to prove himself," Superboy stated in agreement with Bart. Nightwing couldn't help but give his friend a smile of gratitude as his comment manage to settle the team's concerns about Leo…at least for the time being that is. As the members started to disperse to get ready for their daily training drills Nightwing couldn't help but stare at Bart pulling Leo off towards the training arena, with slight curiosity as he wondered whether Bart had planned that distraction on purpose or not.


	8. Ladybug & Chat Noire -"A blooming friendship is a beautiful thing, as it's marks the construction of a judgement free space."

"Nightwing, can I talk to you for a moment?" Nightwing heard from behind him as he observed his teammates struggling through his latest stealth training simulation.

"Sure, you'll have most of my attention anyway. What seems to be the problem M'gann?" Nightwing questioned without taking his eyes off the teens training from bellow as he made mental notes on their strengths and weaknesses.

"It's about our newest recruit," she stated in a worried tone.

"And what about him?"

"Are you sure about letting a criminal wanted in 5 countries join the team?"

"Why not? He's killing the training exercise I came up with on his first attempt. His skills are on pare with our more senior members-"

"Nightwing, that doesn't change the fact that he is still a criminal!" M'gann stated with annoyance at how nonchalant Nightwing was being by this whole situation. The urgency in his friend's voice caused Nightwing to grudgingly turn away from his evaluation of the team to face her.

"Look M'gann I understand your concern, but that criminal served his time already and he deserves a second chance."

"Can you stop trying to act as if this whole situation is normal. Just tell me why you are insisting that the team accept him?"

"C'mere for a second," Nightwing motioned towards her as he turned away from her in order to redirect his attention back on to the recruit, he was the most concern about. Both of them watched Catboy dashing through the dark tunnel with ease dodging attacks from Robin who was desperately trying to steal the glowing yellow ball from him in order to win the game of glow in the dark touch football. The objective of the training exercise was for both teams to try and steal away the precious cargo, aka the ball, and make their way to the end goal with the ball and all their teammates within an hour time limit.

"Okay he's good at stealth and playing keep away…how does this proving your point?"

"Watch how he's helping his teammates out by organizing a way for those that can't see in the dark well to follow his lead," Nightwing answered as the two elder members watched as the rest of Leo's teammates formed a line up behind him following nothing but the tip of his tail, in which he smeared glowing paint from the ball on.

"It's a simple strategy but it allows him to hide the ball on his person to keep away from the opposing team while giving his teammates some way to follow him to the goal line."

"So, your saying we should trust him all because he looks like he's trying his best to be a team player?" M'gann questioned him with a raised eyebrow questioning Nightwing's sanity for what felt like the hundredth time since the announcement that morning.

"Not only that, but he's doing his very best to protect his teammates from the opposing team as well-"

"Nightwing, I'm not going to be so easily swayed on the issue. So, can you not distract from the main topic of the conversation?"

"You've caught me red handed, but all my points have been valid. Leo isn't the type who plays well with others…probably because he has trust issues on the same level as Batman," Nightwing stated with a weary smile before turning towards M'gann once again.

"All I am saying is that effort does count especially for someone who was raised by a villain and just recently lost the only person he's ever really trusted. Don't get me wrong you have every right to have your doubts, as much as, he has every right to prove himself." With that final statement the room became quiet as the two looked onward at the training session as their newest recruit maneuver his way to the end goal with his team that consisted of Beast-boy, Bumblebee, Superboy and Lagoon.

"I guess your right and if you can trust him, he can't be all bad," M'gann stated as she watched with a slight smile as she saw Leo dodging Garfield's attempts to give him a monkey hug. Although she still had her reservations about the ex-felon, she was more confident about the possibility that the young teen could become a part of their family.

-^.^-

"That training session was the best one ever! I can't believe we won," Beastboy boomed with excitement as he came rushing out of the shower area with a towel wrapped around his waist. The rest of the males that took part in the training session soon followed after him as they headed towards the lockers in order to change into their civilian clothes.

"Yeah, yeah enjoy it while it lasts next time victory will be ours," Robin stated with a grimace as he watched a smug smile brighten up Leo's face.

"Sure, you will bird brain," Leo snickered as he removed the towel that was draped across his back. The very sight of what lay under the towel caused Robin to stop in his tracks as the come back he was trying think of flew out his mind.

"Dude what happened to your back?" Jaime questioned drawing the rest of the locker room's attention to the long-jagged scars running down Leo's back. Noticing the heat of everyone's stare caused Leo to visibly stiffen for several seconds before composing himself so quickly that no one noticed…well everyone except Robin.

"It's nothing just battle scars I got while trying to rob a museum," Leo stated nonchalantly hoping that would cause everyone to lose interest and to his good fortune no one really wanted to hear about his daring exploits as a criminal.

"I'm not convince that's true," Robin stated as he walked towards Leo in order to get a closer look at the rough looking scars. "

What do you mean by that?" Leo questioned as his eyes narrowed dangerously as Robin drew near.

"They kind of look like scratch marks caused by claws."

"What are you implying?" Leo hissed out as he could feel his hands balling up into a fist as it dawned on him what Robin was implying.

"Did she do this to you?" Robin questioned with concerned eyes behind sunglasses he was using to hide his secrete ID. Without warning this question caused Robin to find himself being shoved into a wall by Leo.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Leo yelled out in an animalistic growl as he punched the wall inches away from where Robin's head used to be causing a crater to appear on impact.

"Don't you dare talk about her, you know nothing about me or her. So, stop pretending like you do," Leo hissed as he raised his fist to take another swing at Robin before feeling a strong grip wrap around his wrist. This caused his eyes to flicker to the tall and intimidating figure of Superboy who was staring down at him with a glare daring him to try and continue the fight. Even though Conner was just merely trying to stop the situation from getting out of hand, Leo couldn't help but feel as if everyone around him was taking Robin's side even though in his mind Robin was the one who had crossed the line. The very thought that anyone would think his mother would do something so heinous sickened him to his core. With a forceful jerk he broke out of Conner's grasp before turning back to his locker.

"Whatever, just keep your eyes to yourself. You're not my type and we wouldn't want to make your girlfriend jealous now would we," Leo stated in a huff as he put on a black long sleeve sweater.

"She's not my girlfriend," Robin muttered with a slight blush as he walked back to his locker with a pout at how easily Leo had gotten the better of him. Despite the new found silence in the changing room, Conner couldn't help but observe Leo until the young teen had left the changing room with Bart following behind him, partly because he was still weary that Leo would try to make another attempt at bashing Robin's face in. He was also curious about the boy's reaction to Jaime bring up scars in the first place. Not only did the young boy tense up, but his heart seemed to stutter slightly as if he was afraid of something related to those scars.

-^.^-

"Nightwing, we need to talk," Conner stated as he walked into the mission room, to see Nightwing working on schematics for their next mission coming up. With a sigh, Nightwing grudgingly took his eyes off the holo-screen.

"First Ms. M needed to talk and now you. This better not be about whether we should trust Leo."

"It's not…well its about Leo though. There was an altercation in the changing room between him and Robin," Conner stated with folded arms as he watched Nightwing pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Do I even want to know the reason for this altercation?"

"I'm not too sure about the details but it was about the scars on his back and Robin implying it was done by some woman." Conner's report caused Nightwing to roll his eyes at how childish Robin was being in this situation. Of course, he knows Catwoman would never do that to her own son, she was a thief sure but she wasn't a monster. But then again Tim was probably acting out due to being swore that he and Barbara had been keeping him out of the loop.

"Thanks for bring this to my attention, I'll make sure I sort out the situation," Nightwing replied causing Conner to nod slightly before heading out. Once Conner was gone, Nightwing placed a finger to his ear piece until he was connected to Robin's ear piece. When Nightwing was sure Robin was on the other line he summoned him to the mission using what seemed to Nightwing the operative line of the day "we need to talk."

-^.^-

"Hey Leo, wait up!" Leo heard yelled loudly as he felt Bart suddenly appear walking next to him. Leo rolled his eyes with annoyance at the speedster's antics as the older boy started to laugh a little when he saw Leo jump slightly at the sound of his loud voice.

"What's your deal?" Leo questioned as he gave Bart a weary look making it quite evident to the hyperactive boy that he was not in the mood to be dealing with other human beings.

"No deal, just thought that we could chill. You know hang-"

"Why?"

"Well you are Felon Bae, still one of the hottest topics trending for almost 2 months since your mug shots went viral. Can you believe it? A friend at my school told me that almost never happens. Usually some celebrity drama should have knocked you off the trending topics already. They're also having this pool about who's the hottest guy of 2015, and you are the candidate to beat. So, I just thought that wouldn't it be crash to hang and get to know a future celebrity…" Bart prattled on as Leo stared at him analyzing each and every word he spoke.

"I'll invite you to hang in my room if it'll shut you up," Leo bargained with an exacerbated sigh that cause a wide smile to appear on Bart's face.

"And here I thought you would never ask," Bart stated as he rushed into Leo's room within seconds of Leo punching in the final number to unlock his room. What did I get myself into? Leo thought as he walked in after Bart only to see the older teen lounging comfortably on his bed as Onyx hissed at him from a safe distance.

"It's okay girl," Leo whispered as the small black cat pounced into his arms from on top of his dresser.

"Is that your cat named Onyx? She so cute!"

"How do you know her name?" Leo questioned with a raised eyebrow as he stopped inches away from Bart, questioning whether letting a strange teen into his space was a good idea.

"Oh sorry, spoilers…I actually come from 20 years into the future. I came in order to save this timeline from the Reach Invasion, Dick Grayson probably told you about, but now I'm stranded in this timeline. So, I guess I'm just making most of it," Bart answered with a shrug as if this was completely normal news to be sharing with a complete stranger.

"But that's enough about me what do you want to do?"

"Preferable something, I won't have to listen to you talk non-stop," Leo stated flatly hoping that by some stroke of luck the dense speedster would get the hint and just leave already. However, to Leo's misfortune his rude attitude was loss on him, whose face continued to brighten.

"I have the perfect activity! There's this crash tv show a friend told me about and you remind me of one of the main characters," Bart announced before disappearing and reappearing on the bed with Leo's new laptop Dick had given to him in order to keep up with school work Alfred would be assigning him weekly.

"Come on what are you waiting for? Your going to love the show." With another sigh Leo and Onyx shared a quiet look before Onyx leaped out of Leo's arms and sat comfortably next to Bart in order to see what was all the fuse was about. The very action caused Leo to give in and join Bart as he started playing what looked like some show about animated superheroes.

-^.^-

"I can't believe your friend recommended this show to you? I mean it's nothing like real life," Leo stated after the first episode as he allowed Netflix to start the next one.

"Yeah, I know but there is something crash about just being able to say 'miraculous ladybug' and everything the bad guys did gets undone," Bart commented in a wishful voice. The comment seemed to hit Leo hard as he wondered if like him Bart had an event in his life he could simply undo with a few magical words.

"But you know what's really ridiculous is the fact that they haven't found out each other's secrete identities…I mean they have the same hair style and everything."

"I know at least it's not as bogus as a pair of glasses separating you from your secrete ID," Bart agreed with a laugh. Although Leo was unsure about the joke the fact that Bart found it funny was enough for the boy to join him. Their laughter was interrupted by a loud knock on the door before Nightwing entered the room. Nightwing paused slightly as he took in the scene of the two young teens huddled around a laptop surrounded by a mess of cheesy whizzers and goldfish crackers.

"Well this is surprising, I'm glad you're making friends Leo."

"Why are you here?" Leo questioned in annoyance as the intro to the next episode played in the background.

"I heard about the altercation in the changing room earlier," Dick stated as he came closer towards the two teens only to receive a warning hiss that made him stop inches away from the bed.

"So what? Have you come to scold me for laying a hand on your precious birdie?" Leo questioned as he glared up at Nightwing.

"Look-"

"It wasn't my fault, Robin's the one that cross the line!" Leo growled out half in desperation for Dick to take his side and half in annoyance that everyone always ran to Robin's defense.

"Even if he crossed a line, we don't harm our teammates no matter what," Dick stated firmly causing Leo to visibly tense up as they shared a glaring match for several seconds until their attention was re-directed to a loud outburst coming from Bart.

"YAYA! You did it dude! You won hottest guy of 2015. You snatched the win from Zac Effron by like 2 votes."

"You can't be serious," Leo stated as he grabbed the phone from Bart only to sigh with an eye roll when he confirmed the news to be true.

"Man are these women even sane enough to vote?" Leo stated with a grimace as he scrolled through the comments.

"What makes you say that?" Bart questioned.

"Well for one thing Hotgirl_996 says that she would dump her fiancé for one date with me…and ThaBabe11 commented that she would pay 100 dollars to give me a bj-"

"Alright, how about we don't go scrolling through every comment," Nightwing stated as he grabbed the phone away from Leo.

"You might be right, I think you should offer up that type of service for way more than a measly 100 dollars," Bart stated with a shrug.

"Is that right?" Leo stated with a sly smile as he turned towards Bart. "And how much do you think I should charge?" This caused Bart to glance at Leo for several seconds before a slight blush dusted his cheeks for several seconds.

"I think you should start the biding at 100K at the very least," Bart stated as his blushed deepened.

"Wow, at least someone here recognizes my worth," Leo stated with a roguish grin as both teens turned back towards the computer monitor. One teen looking thoroughly pleased with the praise he had just received and the other one as red as a tomato. The very sight shocked Dick as he left the room confused and disturbed…heavy on the (dis-). Despite the weirdness of the relationship between the two, Dick decided instead of questioning the unlikely friendship he should support it. After all, he doubts anyone else on the team would be willing to put up with Leo's less then sunny disposition.


	9. Covert & Explosions  "A real hero never runs away even when staring down a bullet"

"Recognizing Nightwing, B01, and Batgirl, B17," a computer voice announced as the two of them walked out of the zeta beam.

"Are you sure Catboy's ready for an actual mission?" Batgirl questioned as they made their way towards the mission room to debrief the team on their latest mission.

"It's been almost a month since he started training with the team, I think he's ready, plus this mission could really use his expertise in stealth…if we're lucky the mission may actually stay covert," Nightwing partly joked and hoped someone would grant his wish.

"I guess your right. By the way I have been meaning to ask what's going on with Leo and Bart? I mean Bart spends almost as much time with Leo as he does with Jaime if not more."

"You think it's an unlikely friendship as well, huhn?"

"Well yeah? Leo can barely tolerate normal people, but somehow he can tolerate a speedster without a pause button?" Batgirl questioned with a slight raise of her eyebrow.

"I for one am not going to question it, ever since he's made a friend there hasn't been any further problems," Nightwing commented right before both of them stepped into the mission room to be greeted with their Alpha team for the mission consisting of Robin, Arsenal, Blue Beetle, Impulse, and Catboy. Today's mission required the younger members of the team to infiltrate a Reach facility and scope the area out for any signs of Reach agents or the cause of how the Reach was brainwashing people through food produced by Lex Corp. The mission wasn't a hard one; however, as Nightwing observed them gearing up for the mission he couldn't help but feel a knot form in his stomach.

-^.^-

"This is where we grow our superior organic produce that is free from any form of genetic enhancement," An overly peppy tour guide announced as she led a crowd of tourist through the Reach facility in order to take pictures and put up a front to the public that they have nothing hide. If there was anything Leo had learned in his 12 years of life the people with the biggest secretes tend to hide them in plain sight.

"Can this woman be anymore annoying?" Leo questioned as he stuffed a few oranges and tomatoes in an evidence bag as Robin wondered off to ask about the weird pink fluid being pumped into the plants.

"Hey lighten up at least the apples are good," Bart stated between a mouth full of apple. The very sight caused both Leo and Jaime to roll their eyes due to the teen's lack of self-preservation. At this point Leo was convinced if someone swap out the label for bleach with one for a soda the speedster would chug the bottle without a care in the world.

"Next stop the Pluots can you believe it? Pluots in April," the tour guide announced as she redirected the crowd towards the next tour venue.

"Can we start to suit up, oh great leader?" Leo questioned as he turned towards their leader. With a confident nod Blue Beetle grabbed Impulse before he could scamper off mission.

-^.^-

"Can we start our investigation now?" Arsenal grumbled impatiently.

"Fine," Robin answered as he flipped open the door to his bathroom stall. As everyone followed suit all eyes fell upon Bart who was still sporting a colorful superhero suit instead of the all black stealth suit that was required for the mission.

"Dude you're in the wrong mode," Jaime pointed out when it became obvious Bart wasn't going to figure out his mistake on his own.

"What do you mean, I crash all modes," Bart answered proudly.

"He means you need to switch on your stealth mode," Catboy clarified with an exasperated smile that only widened as he watched Bart struggle to find the right pressure point to poke to change his suit black. After countless moments Blue Beetle finally got fed and elbowed Bart's shoulder hard causing his suit to change instantly.

"Ouch!"

"Your welcome," Blue Beetle replied as the boys began to file out of the bathroom. It wasn't long before the team was able to hack the security cameras and find the alien invaders working on their master plan to enslave the human race one nutritious meal at a time.

"Blue can you understand what they are saying?" Robin questioned as the group huddled behind a large machine observing the aliens.

"Well according to the scarab, the aliens are discussing the amount of additive to add to their latest crop…hold on," Blue reported as his eyes flashed orange as he tried to scan the area for anything that stood out as extraterrestrial. "Over there, those pink crystals are not of this Earth." This caused the teens to redirect their attention towards a barrel of pink crystals. Before anyone could come up with a plan Robin was already at the barrel skillfully taking a sample before he could be seen by the surrounding aliens.

"Okay we got what we came for lets go," Robin stated as he got up to start heading towards the nearest exist content that the mission had gone so well. If things kept up like this Nightwing may even praise him. The thought caused a smile to appear on his face as they entered the back of the building.

"We just need to figure an exit strategy and we're home free."

"Already got you covered," Arsenal replied with a sly smile seconds before a huge blast boomed through the room causing the alarms to start blaring all around them.

"Are you crazy? This is supposed to be a covert mission!" Robin exclaimed with panic heavy in his voice as a large group of guards started running towards their location.

"No just want to see old Lex suffer a little," Arsenal answered as he braced himself to take on some of the on coming guards. This comment caused Robin to roll his eyes.

"Hate to further burst your bubble Robin but Catboy's missing," Bart stated as he scanned the room in order to catch any trace of the cat themed teen. With this news Robin had to take a few deep breathes to compose himself. After all, the first rule of being a team leader was not to allow unexpected situations to overwhelm you.

"Okay this is what we're going to do. Arsenal you hold off the guards, Impulse you try to look for away out and Blue and I will look for Catboy," Robin commanded causing his team to break away and start fulfilling his orders. There goes my prefect first covert mission, Robin inwardly sighed as he and Blue fanned out to look for his troublesome younger brother.

-^.^-

"What part of covert is so hard for everyone to understand?" Catboy whispered quietly to himself as he heard the alarms start blaring as he huddled in a cramp vent above Lex's office wirelessly stealing data off his computer and any mobile devices in the room.

"This can't be right the monitors are clear…they must have hacked them. Mercy could you be a dear?" Catboy heard Lex say as his assistant sat down at the computer monitor in order to rewrite their hack. As Catboy saw his team struggling to keep the guards at bay, Catboy quickly glanced down at his watch that stated the upload of information was 52% complete. This is why I prefer to work alone, Catboy thought as he looked around the area for anything he could use as a distraction in order to lower Lex and his entourage out of the room so he could finish the scan directly to quicken the pass of the upload. As his eyes darted back and forward, they soon landed on the fire alarm. With another sigh he punched in a few codes into his holowatch, praying this simple diversion would be enough to send the gang of villains fleeing from the room.

"Mercy, don't bother calling more guards that would just be redundant, just sit back and enjoy-" Lex was cut off by a down pour of water from the sprinklers activated by the fire alarm going off. In order to ensure Lex got the picture Catboy flung a hand full of explosive marbles that went through the open door.

"Sir we should escape while we still can, it seems like there are more of them then we first thought," Mercy stated causing Lex to nod before allowing his body guards to guide him out of the room before it went up in flames. When the room was completely evacuated Catboy effortlessly flipped out of the ventilation duct and landed gracefully on the computer desk. Without a second to waste he plugged his watch into the computer and was climbing back into the vents before any passing guard could catch a glance of him as they ran pass the room.

-^.^-

"Where the hell is that stupid cat!" Robin growled in frustration as he watched the rest of his team getting pummeled by Black Beetle.

"You called birdie?" Catboy stated nonchalantly as he flipped out of the vents only to barely duck out of the way of one of Black Beetle's laser blasts.

"Who's the Blue Beetle doped up on steroids over there?"

"Does it matter, where were you?!" Robin scolded.

"Dose that even matter? Dude we need an exit strategy like yesterday," Blue Beetle interrupted as he was sent flying past them. With a node from both teens they started to set up explosives.

"Impulse do your thing," Robin ordered causing Impulse to vibrate through the wall seconds before the wall exploded giving the gang of superheroes in training a way out. Just as they all filed out of the building Impulse reappeared before them with a displeased look on his face.

"I just scanned the area and our options are corn field or corn field."

"Corn field it is then," Robin stated as he signaled for the team to make a break for it. As the gang ran desperately through the field, they soon ran into another scarab user; however, this one dawned a Green Beetle suit.

"How many colors do you guys come in?" Arsenal questioned as the group found themselves stuck between the green and black beetles. "Everyone, stay on your guard, if we go down we go down fighting!" Robin stated confidently.

"Wow that was inspiring. Whose bright idea was it to put you in charge again?" Catboy questioned in a sarcastic tone seconds before the green beetle start to attack the black one.

"So, the Green Beetle's on our side?" Blue questioned as the group stared at the sight of the two aliens fighting it out.

"Shouldn't we try to make a run for it just in case he's not?" Catboy stated with a worry tone, not knowing what was worse going up against an invincible muscle head or an agile shape shifting Martian.

"No, we have to stay and help him," Robin stated as they watched the Martian begin to freak out as he was surrounded by fire. With a shrug from Catboy the team dispersed to try and help their new ally take down the Black Beetle. With the help of Blue Beetle and Green Beetle combining their sonic beams together they were able to temporarily take down their opponent.

"Finally, the big oofs down for the count," Arsenal sighed out in relief.

"Don't celebrate yet he'll be up and healed in no time," Green Beetle stated with a quick scan of the Black Beetle's vitals. As the team debated what their next course of action would be, they barely noticed the Black Beetle raising his arms slightly to point a gun at the group of superheroes in the hopes of at least taking down one of them. His movements caused Catboy's ears to prick up as a sense of danger and fear rip through him causing him to look towards the villain seconds before he fired a laser beam directly at a distracted Impulse. Without even thinking Catboy's body moved on its own as it pushed the older teen out of the way.

"Catboy!" Leo heard blast through his ears as he felt an electrifying pain shoot through his right arm as blood splattered all around him.

"Impulse grab Catboy, we need to get out of here now," Robin commanded through their mind link, the Martian had established during the fight.

"Agreed," the Martian stated as he lifted himself and the team of superheroes into the air and flew away from the scene of the crime.


	10. Sailing ships & Realizations

“Hey Bart, the doctor just said we should try coming back to visit him tomorrow,” Jaime tried to scold the hyperactive speedster; however, his words fell on deaf ears as Bart vibrated out of Jaime’s grasp.  
“Look I just have to see for myself that he’s okay, plus what if he needs help eating? After all he’s right-handed and all,” Bart argued before dashing back towards the med bay. With a sigh Jaime allowed him to go knowing quite well how much guilt Bart must of felt despite the perpetual smile he’s always wearing.  
Without warning Bart blasted through the door of the med-bay causing the nurse that was placing Leo’s casted arm into a sling, to jump. However, Leo was unfazed by how the older teen materialized in front of them and started to check Leo from head to toe.  
“You know I’m fine Bart, it barely hurts anymore…granted I’m heavily dosed on pain meds,” Leo stated as he gently pushed Bart out of his personal space with a roughish smile as he saw the older teen start to pout.  
“Look I just wanted to come and check on you, but if I’m just going to be in the way-“  
“Well I could use someone to help me set up my computer to start watching the newest Ladybug and Cat Noir episodes,” Leo stated with fake weakness in his voice as he watched Bart disappear for several seconds before materializing with the laptop from Leo’s room and a brimming smile.  
Once Bart had finished setting up the computer, he took a quick glance around the room before deciding to grab a chair from the waiting room outside; however, before he could disappear, he felt a light tug on his shirt.  
“Where do you think you’re going?” Leo questioned as he made room for the older teen to sit behind him in the bed. The very jester left Bart speechless for several seconds.  
“You know it won’t take me long to just to grab a chair from outside-“  
“Bart are you denying a request from the person that saved your life?” Leo questioned with a widening devious smile as he left Bart speechless for the second time in the span of moments. Unable to think of any more excuses Bart soon found himself sitting on Leo’s bed with Leo perched comfortably in his lap.  
“I’m really sorry about what happened today…I should’ve been paying more attention to my surroundings.”  
“I know we’re teammates and that’s what teammates do. I just wanted someone to pamper me…so indulge me even if it’s just a little bit, okay,” Leo stated as he snuggled into Bart’s chest with a soft purr.  
“But I still can’t help but feel guilty,” Bart retorted quietly thankful that there was no way the younger teen could see how red his face was or how his heart was trembling as it picked up speed.  
“Don’t feel guilty, I have already decided a long time ago, that I wasn’t going to watch another person that I care about get hurt in front of me or for my sake ever again,” Leo declared with solemn quiet determination.  
“That’s because of your mother isn’t it,” Bart stated instead of questioned. His words were left unanswered as Leo redirected his full attention towards the television show playing before them. But Bart didn’t need an answer he already knew bits and pieces about what had happened to his mother. Somehow as it dawned on him that Leo considered him someone on the same level as her caused a warm bright smile to touch his cheeks as he ran a hand through the boy’s jet-black hair.  
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
“Batgirl what’s the status on our brave little Kit?” Nightwing questioned as he made his way towards the med bay after siting through a one-hour report about what had happened and taking another hour to lecture Arsenal about his reckless endangerment of his teammates.  
“Well according to the doctor, the bullet didn’t do any damage to any of the nerves in his arm but he does have a bad fracture…and will probably out of commission for a while.”  
“Well not only did he mange to get us vital details about the Reach and the Lights next move but he also managed to earn the team’s trust,” Nightwing commented with a smile on his face as he wondered how their little stray cat was able to grow and mature so much right in front of their eyes.  
“Yeah he’s earned a little more than just the team’s trust,” Batgirl stated with a sly smile as she pointed towards the group of girls standing outside Leo’s medical room.  
“What’s everyone staring and giggling at?” Nightwing questioned as Batgirl brought him closure to Leo’s room where he saw Leo sitting in Bart’s lap curled up fast asleep on the boy’s chest, while Bart had his face buried in Leo’s thick soft black hair.  
“Fifty dollars that they get together within the next two months,” Batgirl gambled as they all continued to watch the two boys sleep peacefully together.  
“I say it’ll definitely be within the month,” Bumblebee countered before the rest of the girls hovering around the room started to bid on different time frames.  
“Yeah I doubt it’ll be anytime soon,” Nightwing murmured, fully aware of the shy nature of both boys, as he started to walk away to go back to his planning of their next mission, satisfied that Leo had more than enough people watching over his health.  
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
“Hey Bart are you okay? I mean, I thought you would be more traught, we caught the alien trying to control Mexico’s population by torturing orphaned children,” a dark figure questioned with a tired yawn as he came forward out of the cave behind the small boy the voice addressed.  
Bart slightly tilted his head up to come face to face with a man with beautiful ivory skin and piercing turquoise eyes, which had a hint of concern despite the constant lazy look that the older man often spotted as if there wasn’t really anything that could surprise him anymore. When reflecting back the mission Bart could understand why. Both him and Shadow Cat had been undercover in Mexico for a little over a month, and during that time they had stayed with a lovely couple and their child while they nursed their injuries they had sustained during their first encounter with the Reach’s newest form of combat, child soldiers.  
“Just thinking about that couple…I wish we could have saved them. So they could have…”  
“A happy ending with their kid, Pablo?” Leo questioned as he lit a cigarette before lying down next to where Bart was sitting on a rock with a down cast look on his face. “Well if you haven’t noticed happy endings are a bit rare these days.”  
“I know that…I know but still the way they sacrificed themselves in order to save the other for Pablo’s sake…it’s just not fair how the Reach can simply destroy love and peace like that,” Bart answered as his fists bawled up as he fought back the tears.  
With a few puffs of smoke, the older man got up to sit next to the youngest member of the Reach resistance. “They made a fitting couple, I suppose…I think the old man said he was married to the mrs for fifteen years. I guess when you’re willing to spend that amount of time with anyone you should be willing to give your life for them.”  
“That makes sense and all, and of course it’s not like I haven’t seen it before with superheroes risking their lives for the ones they hold dear. But to see it happen with regular people…”  
“It’s a little more astonishing…heartwarming even, I guess,” Leo stated with a cool shrug of his shoulders as he discarded the blunt end of cigarette off the side of the cliff they faced. “Look Bart, you may not fully understand everything that went on during this mission. One day when you meet that special person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you will understand how even the most powerless creatures can become brave for someone else’s sake.”  
“How exactly will I know when I have met this person?” Bart questioned while trying to hide the growing blush staining his cheeks he was praying wouldn’t be caught by the all seeing eye of one his favourite mentors.  
“Well there’s no clear answer when it comes to that respect,” Leo stated with another lazy yawn as he redirected his piercing eyes towards the young boy as his head rested in his palm. When he caught the look of disappointment in the small boy’s face he merely sighed as he lifted his other hand to ruffle the boy’s hair. “The only advice I can give is to try and fall in love with that person’s personality. Arbitrary things like gender or looks will either limit your choices or will eventually change over time.”  
“Is that why you’re still alone?” Bart whispered not fully intending Leo to hear him but the older man merely rolled his eyes slightly at the boy.  
“There are only a few personalities I can tolerate at any given time. You are one of those people. Your presences and ideas on time travel give me some distraction from this current Hell hold, which is our everyday lives.”  
The very words caused the boys face to lit up almost instantly with a warm happiness in the knowledge that he held a special place in his mentor’s heart despite how broken and dark it was. Bart’s new found glee and reddening face was not lost on said mentor.  
“Bart does it please you to hear that you have my favour?” Leo questioned with a teasing voice as he took hold of the young boy’s chin so he could not look away from his perceptive eyes that never left the now flustered and fidgety speedster.  
“Well yeah, I mean if that’s case then-“  
“Bart,” Leo interrupted sharply as he got up from the rock with a shadow of pity in his eyes, which caused Bart to inwardly gulp knowing painfully well what was coming next. “Bart you’re a crash kid, but you know emphasis on kid. See ya,” he stated as he effortlessly jumped of the side of the cliff only to use his whip to lower himself safely onto the ground bellow.  
As realization gripped Bart’s younger form soon left Bart’s older form gasping for air as he woke up with a start as he found himself staring at a room stocked with medical supplies. His purpose in being in the medical bay didn’t dawn on him until he noticed the smaller figure of Leo laying still sleep in his lap. For several seconds Bart couldn’t help but admiring the small details he had never notice about the boy in this current time or his mentor’s in his time. They were silly things like how long Leo’s eye lashes were or how his skin was perfectly flawless. Beyond all that the boy, although less hardened and jaded, was still the same Leo.  
Bart’s attention was shifted slightly as he felt Leo sleepily snuggle deeper into his chest with a soft purr that vibrated against Bart’s chest in a way that caused him to flinch away slightly as a blush scorched his face. It soon dawned on Bart that although he may have been too young for the older Leo to take seriously, could he dare to think he had chance with Leo now that the age gap had shrunk down to 3 years? The very thought lit up Bart’s face as he tried to savoir the moment for as long as he could.


	11. Blooming love & Family dinner -“Food always taste better eaten surrounded by love and friendship”

“Was it really necessary to force me to come to this family dinner,” Leo grumbled as Alfred helped him into a navy blue short sleeved button up shirt that went with a pair of Dick’s old black dress pants.   
“I don’t know why you’re complaining, you were the one that was specifically invited. I’m just tagging along to see an old friend and to make sure our stray cat behaves himself,” Dick answered with a slight cackle knowing quite well that Leo was acting up more due to being nervous about the whole event.  
“Plus no one can pass up Iris’ cooking,” Dick finished as Alfred helped Leo put his colorfully decorated caste filled to the brim with signatures and get-well notes. “It’ll be alright the Allan’s and West’s are nice people who just want to show their appreciation for your heroics a few days ago.”  
“I for one think it’s a great idea to help increase your social skills,” Onyx stated in agreement causing Leo to grudgingly suck up the nerves he was feeling on the inside and face this event head on.   
“Whatever, let’s just get this over with,” Leo stated as he grabbed a bouquet of floors and a box of chocolate from the dresser in his left hand. Onyx followed the two boys as they entered the Batcave in order to zeta beam to Central City.  
“Have a good time at the dinner party,” Alfred called out as he watched the two charges disappear from his sight as they engulfed in light of the beam.  
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
It wasn’t long before the two of them found themselves ringing the door bell of a medium size suburban house just inside the city limit of Central City. Seconds after the door bell sounded the door was flung opened to reveal Bart with a brimming smile that only widened when he saw who was at the door.  
“Hey Leo, hey Dick, welcome to our humble abode,” Bart greeted as he allowed the two to enter the house. As soon as, they stepped in they were greeted by the sight of a very pregnant Iris.  
“It’s so good to see you again Dick, it’s been too long,” Iris stated as she wrapped Dick into a hug, before looking down at the younger boy with Dick hiding slightly behind him. “Hi, my name is Iris and you must be Leo, Bart has told us a lot about you.”  
“More like he can’t shut up about the kid,” they heard coming from the living room as they saw Wally walking into the hallway with Artemis by his side.  
“Hey that so isn’t true!” Bart countered as he tried get back at his cousin but before he could whack Wally, he had already sped off to greet his old-time friend.  
In the mists of the chaos Leo felt Bart materialize beside him. “Dude, how thoughtful you brought me flowers,” Bart stated as he was about to reach for the flowers in Leo’s hand before his hand got whacked away by Leo’s tail.  
“Sorry Bart but these flowers are actually for Iris…the chocolates are for you,” Leo stated as he handed the flowers to Iris before handing the box of chocolates to Bart.  
“Even better,” Bart shimmed as tried to open the box to start to dig in; however, before he could have a chance the box disappeared from his hands causing both teens to redirect their attentions towards an old couple standing outside of the kitchen. “Hey Grandpa Jay what gives?”  
“Sorry kido, wouldn’t want you to spoil your dinner,” Jay replied with a hearty laugh as he watched the teen start to pout.  
“Where are our manners? You must be Bart’s friend. I am Joan Garrick and this is my husband Jay Garrick,” the elderly woman introduced as she walked towards Leo and Bart to get a better look at their newest addition at their weekly family dinners.  
“It’s nice to meet you as well I’m Leo Kyles,” Leo introduce himself with a dazzling smile.  
“Leo Kyles? Where have I heard that name before…I think one of my classmates mentioned your name one time,” Artemis stated as she tried to think back about why her friend had brought that name up.  
“Well duh, Leo’s practically famous. He’s the infamous Felon Bae,” Bart announced proudly causing Leo to whack him sharply across the head, as all eyes widened slightly this new piece of information.  
“You mean you’re the kid whose mug shot went viral?!” Wally exclaimed in surprise.  
“Oh yeah, that’s where I remember hearing that name…I guess we should refer to him as a reformed Felon Bae since he did just save Bart’s life and all. By the way I’m Artemis I use to be on the team when Dick here was Robin,” Artemis introduced herself with a warm smile that made a sigh of relief usher out of Leo’s mouth grateful that Bart’s over sharing didn’t ruin the night or get him kicked out. “Oh yeah and that big oof over there is my boyfriend Wally West.”  
“Hey, could you at least not introduce me as an afterthought or as an oof,” Wally complained as Dick just cackled the couple’s antics.  
“Now that we are all more acquainted dinner will be ready in hour, we’re running a little behind since Captain Boomerang chose today of all days to break out of jail,” Iris announced causing everyone to disperse into different rooms to carry on with what they were doing before their visitors had arrived. Dick quickly ruffled his little brother’s hair before following Wally into the living room to play around of video games for old time sake.   
“Do you want to come up and hang in my room?” Bart questioned but before Leo could even reply Bart had took hold Leo’s left hand and practically dragged the poor boy upstairs into a small green room. “Tada, and what do you think?” Bart questioned with his hands up in the air.   
Watching quietly at Bart’s sudden enthusiasm to get his opinion. Leo couldn’t help but smile as he looked around to see posters of Ladybug and Chat Noir draping the walls and a collection of souvenirs from past missions on display on a shelf. In a word the room was very Bart. “I think it’s very you.”  
“So, does that mean you like it or…?” Bart questioned with hesitation heavy in his voice.  
“Well I like you so, I guess I do,” Leo stated simply causing Bart to pause for a moment as he tried to control the crippling blush that was threatening to burn his cheeks.  
“What not satisfy with my answer?” Leo questioned with a sly smile.  
“N-no-no, I-I just didn’t think you would say it like that…” Leo’s smile only grew as he watched Bart start to fumble over his words until he finally gave up and started to set up his computer to put on their favorite show in hopes of taking the spotlight off himself.   
“Oh, before I forget I left a spot for you to sign on my caste,” Leo stated as Onyx popped out of his blouse in order to make herself comfortable in front of the computer screen and give the two some privacy.   
This caused Bart to pause for a second before zooming towards Leo to get a better look at his caste to see a large white space on the top part of his hand.. “Thanks for saving some space for me to sign,” Bart boomed as he started to search his room for a sharpie.  
“Well you did leave me 12 text messages to ensure I remembered to leave some space for you while you were away helping Iris out with the twins,” Leo replied as he hit play once Bart found a red sharpie.  
“Don’t peek!” Bart warned as he started to write the note he had been thinking about since he woke up a couple of days ago with Leo sleeping peacefully in his arms. The very thought of that still caused the young speedster’s heart to pick up speed.  
“Fine…only if you answer a question that’s been on my mind for a while,” Leo stated without taking his eyes off the computer screen.  
“And what would that be,” Bart questioned trying not to take too much of his attention of the message he was writing due to fear of making a mistake.  
“Before you came to this time, did you know the older me?” Leo questioned causing Bart to almost drop the sharpie in his hand as he wondered what could have brought on this question. Sensing Bart’s curiosity Leo clarified his motive for asking such a question. “It’s just, sometimes it feels like out everyone I have ever met beside from my mother; you always seem to get me even when I tend to lash out…I just that maybe it might be because you knew me in the future.”  
For a moment the room went silent as Bart processed Leo’s words. “Yeah, I did know an older version of you. In my time you were I guess what most would considered an Anti-hero…or a missionary? I’m not sure all I knew was that you didn’t do anything without getting paid first.”  
“I guess I wasn’t really inspirational huhn?”  
“Well from a hero standpoint probably not, but all I remember is you taking me on crazy adventure despite knowing it’ll piss off Uncle Damien.”  
“Uncle Damien?”  
“Opps spoilers, but to me you were the coolest, I learned some of the most inspirational life lessons from you that helped me change away I see the world and even view others.”  
“Am I anything like that older version of me?”  
“In some ways yes, but in a lot of other ways no. The you from my time didn’t lose his mother until way later in life so he never knew his father and therefore never really considered himself a hero. He lived a pretty solitude life, and I guess whenever he became too bored with his own company he would whisk me away on a superhero adventure,” Bart prattled on with a warm smile that caught Leo’s eye causing him to pout slightly knowing quite well that who ever he was in the future that version of him held a special place in Bart’s heart.  
“If I’m nothing like him why did you want to become my friend?”  
“Well that’s easy because I think if the older you had a crash friend like me when he was growing up, he probably would’ve been sober a lot more often,” Bart stated with a cheeky smile that caused Leo to smile slightly as he turned his attention back towards the computer. Trying to push down the sinking feeling in his stomach as he wondered whether Bart saw him as a replacement for the Leo he had left behind in the future. A Leo he may never grow up to be…The very thought caused Leo to shift his attention to more hopeful thoughts. At least for now in this current moment he knew that at least one person in the world cared about him and had his back.  
“Thank you, Bart,” Leo whispered so softly Bart didn’t even hear it judging by how he continued to prefect the message his been waiting all week to inscribe on Leo’s cast.   
Somehow knowing he had at least one person was in his corner made a warm feeling swell up in the younger teen, a feeling he thought he would never feel ever again; comfort and safety.  
“Okay done!” Bart stated as he sat back to admire his handy work. This caused Leo to look down and smile slightly as he read the note.  
“Thank you, Tomcat for coming to save your Ladybug – from your Miraculous Speedster.” Bart wrote with a drawling of a ladybug underneath the message.  
“Really, I don’t think Ladybug would ever write that to her dear partner Chat Noire…maybe Adrien but even then, there would be a lot of grammatical errors,” Leo teased before slightly laughing at the message.   
“So, do you like it…?”  
“Of course, it’s my favorite,” Leo stated with a genuine smile that caused Bart to blush violently; however, to his good fortune Iris picked that exact moment to call everyone down for food.  
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
Although this was a new experience for Leo eating dinner surrounded by a table full of people laughing and interacting somehow made dinner time more enjoyable…especially more enjoyable than in the Manor where it would always just be him, Tim, and Dick mostly eating in silence or talking about the Team’s latest mission.  
“Leo is it?” Barry questioned as he passed the pan of Iris’ homemade peach cobbler over to the young boy to help himself to seconds. “Don’t be afraid to take seconds…especially when Wally will probably clear out the food if you’re not careful.”  
“Hey rude much,” Wally stated with a slight pout that got both Artemis and Dick laughing at how very true that statement probably was.  
“Thanks, but I couldn’t take another bite, I’m really full,” Leo stated truthfully after all this probably has been the largest meal, he had every had and he was sharing the food with seven other people.  
“Nonsense,” Barry stated however, this time it was Bart that stopped him.  
“Come on Grandpa B, its not like he’s a speedster plus if you keep feeding him, he won’t look good in his uniform anymore.”  
This comment from Bart caused the whole dinner table to stop and stare at the two boys. Despite all eyes being on them it didn’t seem to phase the two boys. “Careful Bart, your starting to sound like you have a personal investment in how I look in my costume,” Leo stated with a roguish smile.  
“And what if I do? It’s not like you’ve got a hyper-active metabolism so someone has to watch your figure,” Bart answered with an offhand shrug as he took another bite of his fourth helping of desert.  
“Well I guess I’ll have to respectfully decline Barry, the head of the Catboy fan-club has spoken,” Leo snickered out causing Bart to blush slightly as he tried desperately to clarify that he was just looking out for his friend. The older adults around the table found the antics of the two boys amusing causing them to continue to eat and chat with one another. However; Wally, Dick, and Artemis’ eyes continued to observe the boys looking for anything that may prove their suspicions.   
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
It wasn’t longer before the dinner was over and the speedster family was saying goodbye to their visitors. As the older adults worked together to help clean up the house, Artemis and Wally found Bart lounging on a sofa in the living room after finishing helping out with the cleanup.  
“Hey Bart, so your pretty close with Leo, huhn?” Artemis questioned as she sat down next to him while Wally took a seat away from the two of them not wanting to get too involved with whatever matchmaker game Artemis was trying play.  
“Well yeah we are just friends,” Bart stated flatly knowing where this was going.  
“Just friends or are you the type of just friends the main characters on the television show always allude to?” Artemis questioned causing Bart’s eyes to slightly widen as he tried to come up with anything to change the topic.  
“I mean why would you even ask that question? Wouldn’t you be concerned if you saw Dick eating too much and couldn’t fit into his Nightwing costume,” Bart stated as he tried to move the spotlight of the conversation over to Wally.  
“Yeah, I don’t think I have ever had that concern, I mean it would be hilarious if Dick let himself go and I would make a few fat jokes. But ultimately, I would be more worried about his mental health rather than whether he still looked good in his costume. Better try next time squirt,” Wally stated with a smile as he read a book, he needed to do a report on over the weekend.  
“Fine, you got me I may have a little crush on him,” Bart admitted with a violent blush creeping into his cheeks.  
“Awfully bold of you to describe it as a little crush. Considering you were flirting with him in front of the whole family,” Wally commented absentmindedly.  
“Ignore him,” Artemis stated as she noted Wally’s direct attacks only made the younger teen appear more guarded about the issue. “Tell me when it started was it before or after he saved your life?”  
“Actually, I’ve had crush on him since before I even came to this time line.”  
“What your kidding? He had to be in his late 30s or early 40s in your time,” Wally exclaimed as he put down the book suddenly a little more interested in this romance between his little brother like figure and his best friend’s little brother.  
“Yeah he was the one who taught me about stuff like love and other stuff I was going through at the time. He once told me when falling love with someone to fall in love with the persons personality rather worrying about superficial aspect of a person such as gender or even physical appearance, because at the end of the day what really determines whether you can live your whole life with a person is their personality.”  
“So, what did he say when you confessed your love to him?” Wally questioned with a raised eyebrow at the child knowing fully well that Bart wasn’t the type that was good at keeping his emotions in.  
“I never told him how I felt, but I guess probably knew how I felt deep down, because he then told me that I was just a kid.”  
“At least we know Leo wasn’t a pedophile in the future,” Wally commented earning him a whack across his had as Artemis urged Bart to go on with his story.   
“So, when Dick recruited Leo onto the team and I realized that the age gap had shrunk to 3 years I thought that this was probably my chance to see if I even had a shot with Leo.”  
“So, when do you plan on spilling your guts then?” Wally questioned only to duck out of the way from Artemis hand aiming to whack him across the head for how little tact he was using in this delicate matter.  
“I don’t know I guess I’m just afraid of being rejected again, plus in this area he could literally have any girl that he wants,” Bart answered in a small voice that caused Artemis to warmly comb a hand through his messy wind-swept brown hair.  
“Look, from what I could see from today’s dinner was that he genuinely cares about you, plus if this Leo is anything like the future one, I don’t think he’s interested in having anyone, isn’t that right?” Artemis countered causing Bart to realize that she was right. This helped to fully confirm in Bart’s mind that he did have a solid chance and that he should try to make the most of it instead of trying to be satisfied with just merely being staying by Leo’s side as just his friend.  
“Thanks Artemis,” Bart said as he wrapped the older woman in a hug before dashing upstairs to plan operation confession.  
“Last time I checked I helped out too,” Wally grumbled as he went back to his book.  
“Yeah, but last time I checked my advice was more helpful,” Artemis giggled as she kissed Wally on cheek to cheer him up. “But you could make yourself more useful and ask Dick to get a take on Leo’s feelings.”  
“Why do I feel like I can see my future becoming more and more complicated,” Wally groaned out. If Bart and Leo were anything like them when they were overly dramatic teenagers Wally could practically see the future conflicts and headaches he was going have to endure. Despite all this he still found himself getting sucked into the situation, after all his fate was sealed as soon as his girlfriend decided to invest in getting the Leo and Bart ship to sail.


	12. The Circus & Bonding

“So, you and Bart, huhn?” Dick questioned as they walked upstairs after greeting Alfred in the Bat cave and giving him a short summary of what went on during the Allan-West family dinner.  
The tone of the question caused Leo’s ears to prick up in curiosity as he gave Dick a pointed eyebrow raise. “What about Bart and I?”  
“Wally and Artemis got the impression that you two may like-like each other based on how you two were shamelessly flirting at the dinner table,” Dick answered nonchalantly with eyes that were analyzing Leo every movement knowing what was coming next wasn’t going to be a straightforward answer to the simple question he was implying.  
“You guys are reading too deeply into the situation. Bart always says stupid things and it’s just amusing to go along with it. That’s all nothing more and nothing less,” Leo stated in a downcast tone he hadn’t meant to let out as he hugged Onyx closure to his chest for comfort.  
“You know it’s okay to like him…I think he’s fond of you too,” Dick replied carefully as he could gather that Leo probably did like Bart to some degree but there probably was a multitude of things in the way.  
“What are you my fairy-god-mother or something or maybe you’re only concerned just to tell me about how it would comprise the delicate frame work of your team,” Leo practically growled causing Dick to inwardly sigh. Why did he agree to help meddle to get these two together in the first place. With an actual sigh he concluded it was probably due to the fact that Wally had asked him to and he saw it as a way to get back in Wally’s good graces. Even though they acted all chummy at the dinner party he could still sense that Wally was still cross with him for getting Artemis to rejoin the team for the next phase of his master plan to take down the Reach.  
“I just want you to know that I’m here for you if you ever want to talk about it or get any advice.”  
“Hmmm…relationship advice from the man that has literally dated almost every girl on the team and even more currently in the League?” Leo stated with a sly smile expecting Dick to drop the situation; however, to his dismay it barely fazed Dick.  
“You’re right I guess, it only means that I have an ample well of knowledge on what not to do.”  
“Sounds more like you never learned from your mistakes…plus you can drop this topic Bart doesn’t even like me anyway,” Leo retorted back; however, Dick could hear the slight distress and sadness in the last couple of words Leo had spoken loud and clear.  
“What makes you so sure?” Dick questioned with concern heavy in his voice as he gentle took hold of the boy’s shoulder not giving the boy any room to wiggle his way out from answering the question.  
“Look I’m just lucky that someone like Bart even wants to be my friend…so how can I dare to expect anything more than what I already have,” Leo stated in a defeated tone as he sharply jerked out of Dick’s grasp and run into his room before Dick could continue his interrogation.  
“Wait! Leo I don’t think-“ was the last thing Leo hard before he found himself in the dark comfort of his room. He immediately flopped down on his bed as Onyx worriedly tried to get him to open up to her by giving him several comforting licks to his cheek. But nothing she did bore any fruit because no matter how much Leo wanted to talk to someone about the swarm of emotions of dejection and worthlessness building up within him, he could not. How was one supposed to admit that they were jealous of their future self for holding the admiration and affection from the one person Leo would steal all the priceless artworks in the world just to have a fraction of the warmth and affection he saw Bart’s eyes when talked about his future self be directed towards him.  
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
“Let me go! Let me go! Where the fuck-“  
“Language Master Leo,” Alfred interrupted as he followed his two wards down towards the Batcave trying hard not to intervene with Dick’s plan to tame the youngest member of the Wayne Household.  
With an annoyed glare at the old butler, Leo turned his attention back on the muscle head gorilla logging him into the cave like a sack of potatoes, aka his dotting older brother. “If you think I’m going to let you get away with this you have another thing coming,” Leo snarled as his nails elongated into razor sharp claws that were posed to strike at any moment. Without even flinching moments before Leo’s claws met their target Dick threw Leo, kicking and yelling, into a zeta beam Alfred had started.  
“Do make sure to take good care of Master Leo,” Alfred stated as he bid farewell to his oldest charge with worry heavy in his eyes as he questioned whether Dick’s plan to get Leo to open up a little would actually bear fruit or just work to widening the divide Leo had created between him and the rest of the world.  
“Don’t worry Alfred, I’ll have our troublesome cat back before dinner time,” Dick promised with a mischievous smile before following his little brother through the zeta beam. Although Dick’s words were meant to inspire hope inside Alfred it only made him pray harder that both boys came back without Leo strangling Dick.  
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
When Leo awoken from landing head first from the zeta beam he found himself face first in a heap of garbage bags. As he got up he saw that he was in an alley; however, it definitely was not a Gotham alley judging by the brightly lit city. His line of vision soon caught a neon sign welcoming people to Los Vegas. Before Leo could fully grasp the whole situation before him Dick’s cackle caught his attention.  
“You! What the fuck are you hoping to accomplish by bringing me all the way out here?! Couldn’t get one your friends to come with you to hook up with some disease ridden hoe?” Leo questioned with a menacing hiss as his claws elongated and he fell into an offensive stance.  
“First of all I resent the hoe statement, second of all I brought you here to take you to the circus. So stop being an ungrateful brat and let’s go before all the good seats are taken,” Dick commanded with an eye roll as he took hold of Leo’s tail before the younger boy could run away from him. As Dick dragged the young boy who was using the traction from his claws to get away from him, he couldn’t help but sigh hoping for the time his plan started to work.  
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
“May I have two tickets for Haly’s Circus?” Dick asked the ticket booth before turning towards the pouting boy beside him as he gingerly cradled his casted arm with a slight grimace every now then.  
“You know this would have gone a lot smoother if you didn’t put up a fight,” Dick scolded softly as he bent down to take a closure look at Leo’s arm, but before he could access the situation further Leo turned away from with a huff.  
“You still haven’t told me why we are here,” Leo mumbled to himself. The very reaction to seeing the circus up close puzzled Dick. After all he knew Leo held a lot of deep seeded issues about getting too close to other people to the point Dick was sure it was the root of Leo’s social anxiety tendency, but he was still a kid on the inside and what kid in their right mind could resist the whimsical nature of the circus?  
Right before he could get to the bottom of Leo’s unusual foul mood, the ticket booth girl arrived back with two newly printed out tickets. “Here, you go. And may I add how adorable it is that your taking your little brother out to the circus,” the woman behind the booth commented in a sensual tone as she bent her chest over the window that separated her from her customers. The flirtatious action only added to Leo’s annoyance as he grabbed the tickets from her before heading towards the circus tent.  
“Sorry, the little guys in a bit of a mood,” Dick stated in an nonchalant tone before heading off to catch up with Leo leaving the woman utterly stunned and very disappointed.  
“Leo what the heck is your deal anyway? I bring you to the most popular circus in America and you act as if I’m making you eat a plate full of broccoli,” Dick questioned as they both took their seats in the back row of the tent.  
With a long sigh Leo finally looked Dick in the eyes for what felt to Dick the first time in a long while. The look Dick saw staring up at him was a calculated one as if Leo was trying to judge whether he could really confine in the older teen before him. “My mother, before she died she promised to take me to an amusement park…this kind of brings back that memory,” he murmured in a quiet barely audible voice.  
For the first time since Dick had met Leo, he felt as if he was seeing the true kid underneath his prickly exterior and like Dick had guessed the walls that Leo tried so desperately to barricade himself behind were to protect the scared child deep within him.   
“I’m sorry I didn’t know-“  
“It would be creepy if you did…why did you decide to spend your day off with me?” Leo questioned as he redirected his gaze towards the floor unable to fully comprehend why Dick would choose to spend one of his rare days off dealing with a child he probably wished was someone else’s problem on a daily bases.  
“You’re right, you are a giant pain in my butt,” Dick began with a small smile on his face as he watched Leo’s fist ball up slightly. “But we are more alike than either of us probably would like to admit.”  
“I’m nothing like you!” Leo stated in outrage; however, Dick noted the sadness and regret heavy in the boy’s eyes. It was almost as if that statement was more to distance himself away from Dick rather than the other way around.  
“I grew up in this circus you know,” Dick stated in a low voice as he stared across the tent as it slowly began to fill with people eager to see the show. This piece of information perked Leo’s interest by the way it caused his head to snap back up towards the older teen.  
“My family before Bruce adopted me was called the flying Graysons. We were old man Haly’s best act at the time. Everyone wanted to come and see my family’s net-less trapeze act…well at least until the circus came to Gotham City.”   
“What happened when you came to Gotham?”  
“A crime boss named Tony Zucco, is what happened. Haly wouldn’t pay the protection fee so he tampered with the trapeze apparatus leading to their deaths during our first show in Gotham…” Dick finished off as they watched the lights start to deem around them before they both watched the ring master step out of the shadows into the spotlight.  
“Welcome people of Los Vegas! Thank you for coming down to see the most mystical and invigorating circus performance you will ever see in your life time!” Haly announced causing Leo’s attention to be redirected towards the stage before them.   
All through the performance Dick couldn’t help but keep his attention on Leo’s ever changing facial expressions as he got more and more entranced in the spectacular before them. Every now and then Dick smiled grew as he watched the young boy’s turquois eyes widen with wonder as he tugged at Dick’s sleeve to get his attention back on the stage especially as the fire breather act came into the spotlight.   
“So what did you think of the show?” Dick questioned when all of the acts came filing out on stage to bask in the applause of the audience.   
“It was amazing! Are you sure all the acts were done by none metas?” Leo questioned with a light in his eyes that made Dick sigh with relief in the knowledge that Leo was capable of opening up and being a normal child.  
“Yeah, I’m sure. Would like to go back stage to meet some of the acts?” Dick questioned only to see Leo’s face brighten further as he hopped out of seat before grabbing hold of Dick’s sleeve while rushing down the bleachers. As Dick tried to keep up with Leo’s pace it amazed him that he was the one being dragged around.   
Once they got backstage Leo let go of Dick’s sleeve but before the older teen could regain his composure his stray cat had disappeared among the chaotic back stage area. With a sigh of amusement Dick started to look around slowly as memories of his days moving from city to city with Haly’s traveling circus filled his mind.  
“Is that you Dick?” a voice called out causing said boy to snap back to the present time to see the jolly old ring master who had always looked upon him and his family with great respect.  
“Hey Jack, how have you been?” Dick questioned as the old man pulled into a warm friendly hug.  
“My have you grown, the last time I saw you, you were yay high going by the name of Dan Danger,” the old man mused as he took a step back to take in the image of the man he once looked upon as a grandchild when he was younger.  
“Yeah, but today I’m just Dick Grayson, one of your many patrons.”  
“Oh and what do I owe the special occasion to?” Haly questioned just as he heard a scream coming from the female changing section of the backstage area. Before anyone could rush towards the source of the scream all eyes turned towards two angry women dragging a small boy with a cheeky grin behind them.  
“More like a whom,” Dick answered with an apologetic grin.  
“Haly what is the meaning of this? I caught this little brat snooping through my stuff and playing with my lighter.”  
“At least that’s all he did to you this one tried to pull off my bread, which is real by the way!” the other woman yelled as she glared daggers at Leo who struggled out of their grasp only to shrink away behind Dick.  
“And who may this be?” Haly questioned as he bent down towards Leo’s level which only made the boy move further behind Dick at least until Dick stepped aside and nudged him forward.  
“This is Leo Kyles, my troublesome little brother,” Dick introduced.  
“In that case Bernice and Maranda, would it be okay if you forgive the boy. He’s the brother of a famous old act that I used to put on back in the day,” Haly implored as he stood between the two women and the boy. “Plus I’m sure the little guy didn’t mean any harm?” Haly stated in order to further quail the burning fury in front of them.  
“Yeah I really enjoyed the performance and I kind of got carried away. But you’ve got to show me how you breathed fire across the stage,” Leo stated with excitement as his cat ears and tail popped out. Seeing this caused the two women to forget their anger as they came closure to inspect the oddity before them.  
“OMG, are these cat ears real?” Bernice, the breaded woman, questioned with a slight squeal as she felt Leo’s ear twitch away from her grasp as she made an effort to get a hold of his ear to confirm her theory.  
“They have to be, even his tail can move on its own!” Maranda replied with intrigue.  
As soon as Leo realized his true self was showing he retracted his ears and tail with a dejected look at Dick. “Sorry I didn’t mean to sometimes I can’t control them.”  
“Why would you need to control them? They make you look so cute!” Maranda complimented as she ruffled the young boys dark thick raven colored hair affection.  
“Just a force of habit I guess…I went to a couple of schools where the kids picked on me when they found out about the feline part of me. Many of the boys thought I looked too girly with them. The only person until now that ever really accepted this side of me was my mother,” Leo explained in a soft voice as he revealed his true self to those around him feeling a little less self-conscious.  
“Don’t you dare listen to them, what do snot nose brats know anyway?” Bernice the bearded lady stated softly as she petted Leo’s head affectionately. “Plus if everyone listened to those around no one would ever just be themselves. And places like the circus would never exist.”  
“Yeah, she’s right, and I for one love your cat ears and tail,” Maranda finished off with a warm giggle that made Leo blush slightly as he allowed himself to be ushered away by the two women as they called others to take a look at him.   
For the first time Leo could feel a genuine smile appear on his face as the rest of the circus folk stood around him complimenting and petting him affectionately. This was probably the first time he ever felt as if he could be proud of his feline side, instead of seeing it as a part of him that he had to live with or just a part of his Catboy costume.   
\--------------------------------------------------^.^-----------------------------------------------------  
“Looks like your little brother takes after you,” Haly stated after sometime watching the small boy charm his way into everyone’s heart. Even the circus acts that were always competing against each other came together just to watch and listen to the boy’s exciting stories about his life as Catboy.  
“What do you mean?” Dick questioned as he took his attention off the pleasant scene to smile at his old friend who was giving him a nostalgic look.  
“I recall a younger boy many years ago captivating the troop in the same way as he practiced his circus act in the middle of the dressing space,” Haly replied as he ruffled Dick’s hair.   
The sentiment was welcomed although Dick knew it was time to leave as he cleared his voice before smiling at Haly one more time as he walked into the crowd of observers to go and collect Leo. “Hey, time to go Kit,” Dick said as he scooped up the boy who was entranced by Maranda’s story about how she drinks a gallon of oil a day in order to blow fire across the stage.  
“Wait she’s not done her story yet,” Leo whined as he tried to struggle out Dick’s grasp but to no avail.  
“It’s for the best, I remember when her mother told me that everyone in the family had to swallow dragons in order to breathe fire,” Dick commented with a cackle.  
“Yeah and of course gullible sweet little Grayson completely bought it,” Maranda teased as she gave Leo one last pet between the ears. “Don’t worry little one just make this one promise to take you to the circus more often.”  
The walk back to the zeta platform was a silent one at least until they could no longer see the brightly lit up tent anymore. “Thanks for taking me to the circus,” Leo murmured underneath his breath quietly enough for only Dick’s ears. The expression of gratitude took Dick by surprise slightly as he looked down to see a small warm smile grace Leo’s features.  
“This coming from the boy who I literally had drag here kicking and screaming,” Dick teased only to receive an annoyed pout from Leo.  
“Even so you still never clearly explained to me why you decided to take me out today to this place of all places,” Leo questioned as he hopped out of Dick’s arms.  
“I guess I ruined the moment didn’t I?” Dick questioned with a nonchalant attitude as he fell into Leo’s pace. “I brought you out here to let you know that you aren’t alone anymore and I thought knowing a little bit about me may make you realize that.”  
“You didn’t have to go that far for me, you know,” Leo stated with a huff that made Dick smile a little as he could see clearly the younger teen trying his hardest to hid the blush appearing across his face.  
“You’re right, but I needed to show you that this isn’t about Bruce’s orders anymore. I genuinely want you to know that I am there for you whenever you need to talk even if Bruce were to come back tomorrow.”  
“Why?”  
“I think I have always felt this way but something you said last night really hit me. Why don’t you think your worthy of Bart’s friendship let alone the possibility that he could like you?”  
With a sigh Leo couldn’t help but grimace at the question, but as he looked up at Dick he didn’t have the strength to think up away to get Dick to leave him alone about this topic. It also didn’t help that he felt as if he had owed Dick somehow for opening up to him. “I have never really been good with making friends…It just feels like whenever I become too comfortable with having someone around they either leave or betray me. I guess I’m just scared that if I expect too much from our friendship or ask for more he might…”  
“Abandon you or turn on you,” Dick finished with a thoughtful look on his face as he caught a glimpse of just how deep Leo’s wounds really were. He couldn’t help but wonder about the type of experiences this child had gone through. “You must really like Bart huhn?” Dick questioned softly.  
“Yeah he’s goof and he can be a real airhead sometimes, but he’s the only one I have met so far who has tried to understand me even when I become unreasonable or when I lash out…most people would have left already.”  
“I don’t know why you’re so worried, anyone who’s willing to stick around after enduring your worse has to be head over heels for you.”  
“Oh does this mean that the only reason your still here is because you’ve fallen for me then?” Leo questioned with a roughish grin that caused Dick whack him playful across the head as he cackled a little.  
“But you know I’m being serious maybe you should keep an open mind about the possibility of becoming more than friends with Bart.”  
“You know I’ll keep an open mind when you finally have the guts to ask Barbra out,” Leo stated with a devious smile as he watched Dick slightly trip due to the unexpected turn their conversation made.  
“How did you-“  
“Know? It was obvious. Every time you guys are together it’s suffocating due to all the pheromones swirling around in the air,” Leo answered in a matter fact manner.  
“Is that your way of commenting on our sexual tension?” Dick questioned with a humorless smile as he tried to look for different ways to divert the conversation away from him. But the more he thought the more he knew there was no way he was going to get himself out of this mess, and there was the fact that if he shut out Leo there was no way the kid would feel comfortable coming to him about his problems.  
“Anyway we’ve already talked about and she was the one who turned me down. Apparently I’m not ready for a relationship with her, whatever that means,” Dick forced out feeling completely uncomfortable about divulging this type of information, but deep down he knew this was probably how Leo must have felt the other day when he randomly started to poke and prod at his feelings.  
“Maybe she’s waiting until you know what you want,” Leo stated flatly as they rounded the corner into the same alley they had begun their day of bonding.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“People who know what they want don’t end up dating almost every hot superheroine they come across. You’re like a kid at a bakery who can’t decide which type of cookie they want, so instead of making a decision you just use all your means to buy every type of cookie. Indicating, there is nothing really special about what you prefer as long as they meet the basic criteria,” Leo answered with an eye roll that caused Dick to stare in disbelief for a couple of seconds before composing himself by ruffling Leo’s hair.  
“I guess we both have a lot to learn, but we should probably get going before Alfie scolds us for being late for dinner,” Dick stated as he started the zeta beam before following his little brother back home.


End file.
